Sexy singer Christina Aguilera has shocked fans by removing her famous piercings - because she associates them with unhappier times in her life.

The DIRRTY singer, 23, had eleven pieces of body jewellery in her ears, lip and tongue which each represent painful moments in her past, but her record executive boyfriend, Jordan Bratman, has helped her overcome her troubled history so she decided to remove every piercing apart from one in her right nipple, which has sentimental value.

Aguilera explains, "I'm rebelling against myself. I've taken out all of my piercings apart from one in my right nipple. That's for me. I had piercings when I was down. There's a comfort to me in pain."

A close friend adds, "She's really happy with her boyfriend and associates piercings with traumatic times in her life. She's decided to ditch the lot, apart from the bar in her nipple. That one is very special to her. At least now airport metal detectors won't go crazy when she passes through."

16/08/2004 02:54