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11-01-02 news BY PAUL MARTIN
Samantha Mumba Interview...

POP sensation Samantha Mumba has revealed what it's like to be the hottest ticket in Hollywood.

The 18-year-old said she has paid the price for her super stardom and lost her freedom - but insisted she wouldn't change a thing.

As she opened her heart about her private life for the first time, Samantha said: "When I'm out with my mates I love to get legless."

And she admitted her fears of fame revealing: "I want to be a diva, but won't turn out like a bitch."

The Gotta Tell You star said: "When I'm out with a group I hide in the corner and get legless. I just make sure my friends shield me. People watch me, waiting for me to slip up, so my privacy has gone - but that's a price you pay. I'm not into the whole showbiz scene. I see my friends from home a lot. They are the people I stick with. All I want to do when I have time off is to have a laugh with my school friends and go down the pub."

Samantha has been juggling her roles as a movie star and pop singer in America. She has already notched up three top 10 singles and is currently recording her second album in London.

Success has brought plenty of rewards and Samantha admitted she enjoys the trappings of fame and that she was treated like a queen on the set of the new Steven Spielberg movie The Time Machine.

She added: "I had a huge trailer. It had a bathroom, a double bedroom, a living room, a DVD player and a kitchen. It was wicked. I loved being behind the scenes and finding out how they make movies. They treated me so well. I was nervous about my role because most singers play a singer. But I've had to act and not depend on my voice so much. I hadn't much time for Jennifer Lopez before doing The Time Machine. But boy, she makes movies and music constantly. I don't know how she does it."

Despite her increasingly demanding schedule, Samantha insisted she still finds time for herself. Unlike many stars in her position she doesn't spend her free time frequenting showbiz parties and trying to keep her face in the limelight.

She explained: "Shopping is my favourite thing - my last bout of retail therapy was two weeks ago. I love having so many bags that my arms ache - it's the only way to do it. But I'm not crazy about the designers like Prada and Gucci. I hate going into designer stores. The security guards let you in and watch your every move. It's not like shopping with pals."

In the interview with Cosmopolitan magazine, Samantha revealed she lives in Kensington and stays with her mum at the family home in Dublin when she comes back to Ireland.

She said: "I'm based in London now. I'm renting an apartment, making my own little home. It's great because I am around people all the time and I need my own space to get away from it all. I love pampering myself when I'm alone. I have a nice hot shower when I get in then I slip into my pajamas, make dinner and cuddle up in a blanket on the sofa. It's like Bridget Jones's Diary, minus the big pants."

Since hitting the top 10 with her debut single, Gotta Tell You, last year, Samantha has been linked to a string of celebrity lovers. There were rumours she was secretly dating soul star Craig David. Then she was linked with Channel 4 presenter Dermot O'Leary and even bad boy rapper Eminem.

Although she strongly denies ever having a celebrity romance, Samantha admitted that she does see the funny side of some of the stories.

She revealed: "It's funny, I open the papers and there I am, having a candlelit dinner. But none of the stories are true. The one linking me with Eminem was so weird - I only met him for 10 minutes. I haven't been on a date in ages. I've been seeing guys and have had relationships. I don't tell the press though. All I say is that I don't go out with famous men. So none of the rumours about my love life are true - although they are very amusing to read."

Critics are now tipping Samantha to follow in the footsteps of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey and be the next big pop diva. But Samantha explained that she never wants to loose her grip on reality.

She said: "I don't know if I want to be a diva. To me a diva is someone fabulous and glamorous but they often have bad reputations. I don't want that. I don't take the music business that seriously so I won't be forgetting reality."

Samantha is set to take the movie world by storm when The Time Machine hits cinemas in America and Ireland in March.

A new album will follow in the summer which will be followed by a US and European tour.

A source close to the star said: "She is the busiest girl in pop right now - even more than the likes of Britney. It's going to be a huge year for Sam with the new movie coming out. She's going to get bigger and bigger."

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