In her new movie Precious, Mariah Carey was required to strip off the make-up to play a dowdy social worker.

“It was like removing masks, as opposed to putting them on," she said.

Surprisingly, the star enjoyed dressing down: “A lot of people didn’t recognise me, and I was actually happy about that.”

“I had to lose the entire persona with me as Mariah Carey. I hate speaking in the third person but that’s the only way to explain it!”

In an interview with OK! Magazine, she also discussed Glitter, her last film, which has frequently been hailed the worst ever.

“That movie was released on September 11th, 2001. Could there be a worse day for that movie to come out? I don’t think so," she said.

“I don’t even know that many people even saw the movie. I don’t think it’s the worst thing ever done. I don’t think it’s the best thing ever done.

”If I could go back in time and not do it, yeah, I would definitely not do it.”

Celebs Without Make-Up!