Ten Things You Never Knew About Kylie Minogue

It makes sense that Kylie's name is Aussie slang for "boomerang" - she's the pop icon who keeps coming back. She's survived critical scorn, changes in musical tastes and a decade-long tabloid fixation with her pert little bottom to become one of our most cherished entertainers. Even breast cancer couldn't knock her down. As she applies the finishing gloss to her tenth studio album - while somehow finding time to film a role in the Doctor Who Christmas special - it's time to swat up on the diminutive dance-pop diva. Read on for ten fascinating facts about the irrepressible Kylie Ann Minogue.

1. Kylie was born in Melbourne in May 1968 to Ron, an accountant, and Carol, a dancer.

2. Kylie is the eldest of three children. Her brother Brendan is a TV cameraman, but we're not entirely sure what's happened to her sister. Hmm. Did we catch a glimpse of her behind Sharon Osbourne’s bouffant on ITV1 the other day?

3. Kylie made her acting debut on Skyways, an Aussie soap set in an airport, in 1980. Incredibly, six years before either of them joined Neighbours, she shared her screen time with Jason Donovan.

4. Kylie's pop career began by accident. She performed a version of sixties hit 'The Loco-Motion' at a benefit concert for an Aussie sports team, and was promptly signed to Mushroom Records. Her subsequent recording of the song became the best-selling single of the eighties in Australia.

5. Which achievement gives Kylie the most satisfaction? "I guess it's the parts you don't often see which make me feel proud," she reveals. "All the behind the scenes work, the fears and insecurities I have to face and overcome to improve myself as a person and performer.”

6. Kylie's first 13 singles stormed straight into the UK top ten. That's a chart record that ABBA, The Beatles, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Oasis and David Bowie were unable to match.

7. When Kylie isn't performing, she likes to relax by playing card games and enjoying good food. Who says rock 'n' roll is dead?

8. How kinky is Kylie? "Sex is the most natural thing in the world. When I'm in a relationship, I like lots of it," she reveals. "I like to be swept off my feet - but I do have a very low boredom threshold!" Guys - it's time to dig out your old copies of The Joy of Sex.

9. Kylie's signature tune 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' reached number one in 40 countries, ended her 13-year absence from the US top ten and became the third most popular song in the world in 2001.

10. Kylie insists she's more than a mere pop puppet. "If you're part of a record company, I think to a degree it's fair to say that you're a manufactured product," she admits. "But it doesn't mean that you're not talented and that you don't make creative and business decisions about what you will and won't do and where you want to go".