SHE has the reputation of being showbiz’s biggest diva, so it will come as no surprise that Mariah Carey refuses to accept she is growing older.

The superstar singer, who turns 50 today, despises the word birthday so much that she will instead celebrate an “anniversary”.

Mariah Carey has just turned 50Credit: Getty Images – GettyMariah shortly before she was admitted to hospital for a ‘physical and emotional breakdown’Credit: Steve Wood

Mariah says: “I don’t count years. . . I rebuke them. I have anniversaries, not birthdays, because I celebrate life, darling.’’ Even her eight-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe, know not to mention the B-word.

Last year they sang “Happy anniversary” during a party at a posh New York restaurant, where the Queen of Christmas was reportedly “seated at the head of the rose petal-layered table”.

Mariah is arguably as famous for tales about her bonkers behaviour — whether true or not — as her power ballads. There was the time she appeared on James Corden’s very first Carpool Karaoke in 2015 and initially refused to sing.

She asked if they could just, “Drive around and chat”. Mariah once needed two assistants to help her sit down for a TV interview for fear of creasing her dress.

1Mimi at a fancy dress party in 2004Credit: Splash NewsMimi bathes in tub filled with sweets in 2017Credit: Instagram

When she performed Touch My Body on Good Morning America in 2008, she told a loud backing singer to: “Stop singing my part now, baby.”

Mimi, as she is known, reportedly refuses to be pictured in fluorescent lights unless wearing sunglasses, demands extra hotel suites solely for her wardrobe and welcomed her twins to the sound of — you guessed it — her own music.

Her then husband, Nick Cannon, 39, said: “My wife wanted to make sure that not only did the babies come out to a Mariah Carey song, but a live performance, her Madison Square Garden performance of Fantasy. So they came out to a round of applause.”

Even a story, which Mariah has denied, is too entertaining to let pass. It had been rumoured that she requested 20 white kittens and 100 doves to be released during a Christmas lights switch-on in London in 2009. Given her reputation, it was an easy one to believe.

Mariah has eight-year-old twins with ex-husband Nick CannonCredit: Getty – Contributor

There have been some cutting remarks, too. Mimi once claimed she had never heard of pop rival Jennifer Lopez. With wide-eyed innocence, she declared: “I don’t know her.”

And when she was told in 1995 that Madonna had said she would rather “kill herself” than sing Mariah’s songs, she replied: “I really haven’t paid attention to Madonna since I was in, like, seventh or eighth grade when she used to be popular.” Ouch!

Despite reports on Mariah’s uncompromising behaviour, the five-time Grammy winner is still one of the biggest-selling artists of all time. Her No1 festive single All I Want For Christmas Is You is said to have made £50million in royalties alone. But life hasn’t always been easy for Mariah.

Born in Huntington, New York, in 1970, her parents divorced when she was three years old. Her older sister Alison lived with their dad, while Mariah and her brother, Morgan, stayed with mum, Patricia. Patricia’s family had disowned her for marrying a black man and Mariah gradually lost touch with her dad.

Her No1 festive single All I Want For Christmas Is You is said to have made £50million in royalties aloneCredit: �Alpha-Globe Photos Inc.The five-time Grammy winner is still one of the biggest-selling artists of all timeCredit: X17 Agency

She found solace in music and at 17 signed her first recording contract, with Colombia Records. She married music exec Tommy Mottola in 1993 but divorced five years later, saying she felt “suffocated”.

After joining Virgin Records for an estimated £83million in 2001, Mariah started posting worrying messages on her website and performed a bizarre striptease on MTV.

She was admitted to hospital for a “physical and emotional breakdown”. The release of her musical movie Glitter had to be delayed by several weeks, and then it was a flop.

It was another 17 years before Mariah revealed she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the time. She said in 2018: “Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me. It was too heavy a burden to carry and I simply couldn’t do that any more.”

Mariah was diagnosed with bipolar disorderCredit: Refer to Caption

But her struggles did not end there. In 2008 she was heavily criticised for accepting £1million to perform at a New Year’s Eve concert for the family members of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

She later said she felt “horrible and embarrassed” and was “unaware” who she had been booked to perform for. To make amends Mariah pledged to donate money from her single Save The Day to a human rights charity. Though it is yet to be released.

She married actor and comedian Nick Cannon in 2008 and named their twins after Marilyn Monroe and the Moroccan-inspired room in the apartment where he proposed. The couple split in 2014.

Afterwards Mariah was briefly engaged to Australian billionaire James Packer. She has been dating American choreographer Bryan Tanaka for three-and-a-half years.

Mariah ruled the music world in the 90sCredit: Goff Photos

While Mariah’s songs may not be reaching the Top Ten any more, her back catalogue ensured last year’s Caution world tour, including three dates at London’s Royal Albert Hall, was a critical success.

Such is her popularity, Walkers crisps forked out a rumoured £9million to have Mariah star in its festive advert. And with no signs of slowing down, Mariah is soon to release her memoirs, I Had A Vision Of Love.

With 33 years in the business, Mariah still looks youthful. True to form, her beauty secrets are far from ordinary.

She soaks in cold milk, uses mint to plump up her lips and refuses to use mascara. In fact, she says she will “throw a fit” if any make-up artist comes near her with it. She instead uses false eyelashes.

She has been dating American choreographer Bryan Tanaka for three-and-a-half yearsCredit: Xposure

She has battled her weight in the past but now, at 50, is looking better than ever. She claims it is down to a diet consisting solely of “salmon and capers” and working out at least three times a week.

Though her ex-assistant Lianna Shakhnazaryan claims otherwise. She accused Mariah in court documents of using her credit card to pay for surgical treatments including bum enhancement and fat freezing. Mariah denies the claims and has counter-sued.

Diva or not, Mimi can still take the mick out of herself. In 2017 she was pictured pounding a stairmaster in fishnets, heels and her underwear.

After it drew criticism, Mimi admitted: “I was joking around people, hello? I was just having fun. I thought it was funny!”

Maybe, just maybe, Mariah’s been playing us all along.