'Vain' Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani is incredibly "vain".

The 41-year-old singer is renowned for her immaculate grooming and because of this, Gwen - who has two children, Kingston, four, and Zuma, two, with husband Gavin Rossdale- admitted she struggled with her changing shape during her pregnancies because she felt "gross".

She explained: "I mean, I'm very vain. That would be my middle name. Of course I am, you know what I mean? I love the visual.

"You feel pretty gross when you are first pregnant. You don't feel cute, you feel disgusting. You're getting fat. It was hard."

While Gwen is obsessed with her appearance, she doesn't think the latest crop of singers, including Rihanna and Lady Gaga, are inspired by her look because she wears more clothes than they do and doesn't think about promoting a sexy image.

She told America's Elle magazine: "I don't see myself in those girls. I usually put pants on. I see these girls as more going for the sex-symbol thing. I was more, in the band, like a tomboy. Of course, I think every girl is sexy, so there's going to be a little of that. But I see a lot of younger artists going more toward the sexy thing."

Gwen also revealed Valentine's Day (14.02) is always special for her and Gavin, because the pair - who have been together for 14 years and married for nine - enjoyed their first kiss around that time.

She said: "The first time we ever kissed was right around Valentine's Day - we were in New Orleans on tour. So, yeah, I always think about that because it's unbelievable that we've been able to stay together. I feel so proud of us - it's one of my biggest achievements."