Madonna Regrets Her Sexy Image

Madonna's more formal lookPop icon Madonna admits she took her sexy image too far in the early stage of her career.

The 46-year-old singer and actress says her attitude - which included suggestive songs such as Like A Virgin, daring concerts and releasing the provocative book Sex in 1992 - may have misled fans.

"Sometimes I was being overtly sexy for the sake of showing off when I didn't need to be. I think I hurt myself.

"Ultimately none of us wants to be judged, or approved of, or loved because of the way we look, or how sexy we are," the singer tells US magazine Ladies' Home Journal.

"One minute I was saying 'believe in yourself' and the next minute I was saying 'just be sexually provocative'.

Madonna"I was letting it pump up my ego, thinking 'aren't I great, they're writing about me, my picture's on the cover of every magazine, I'm so fabulous'," she says.

The admission comes only days after the pop star released her fifth children's book, Lotsa De Casha.

But the over-40 Madonna is anything but dowdy. Last year she played all over the world on her Reinvention tour, which included a series of revealing costume changes to go with the hits.

She also recently fronted a £5m ad campaign for fashion house Versace.