Janet Jackson admits body image issues

Janet Jackson used to bang her head off walls because she felt so ugly.

The 44-year-old singer admits she has always struggled with her self-confidence, and though she now feels more comfortable with her appearance than she did in her 20s, she still has periods of feeling unattractive.

She said: "I would literally bang my head up against the wall because I didn't feel attractive. There was a lot of pain in my life. But I did. I felt very unattractive.

"I still have issues with it. I don't bang my head up against the wall, but I still have those moments. And I think it'll probably continue but at least I know how to deal with it now. And I'm in a much better space."

Janet - the sister of the late Michael Jackson - believes many of her insecurities stem from the nicknames she was given by her brothers, including "horse, pig, cow, and slaughter-hog".

She admitted in an interview with 'Today' host Meredith Viera: "It makes you laugh, it really does. It makes you laugh. I guess some people could say, 'Oh that's, you know, brothers and sisters joking, it's all affection, it's all, you know, it's in a loving way.' But not everybody can brush it off, and I was one of those."

The 'Together Again' hitmaker also spoke about her relationship with her father Joe Jackson, admitting he banned her from calling him 'Dad'.

She recalled: "He said, 'I'm Joseph to you. You do not call me dad.' That affects you as a kid. I know my father loves me. He just has a very, very different way of showing it."

Janet's interview will be broadcast on 'Today' on Friday (11.02.11).