Kylie Minogue is terrified of her own face.

While the Australian pop princess has aged gracefully, she admits feeling alarmed when she catches a glimpse of herself make-up free in the mirror and sometimes wonders whether a monster is looking back at her instead.

The 44-year-old singer said: ''I am not going to lie about this. There are lots of times I look in the mirror and I see that gravity has taken hold. Or suddenly see my face on a phone or on Skype and it's like a Spielberg special effect and you just scream, 'Who is that?' ''

The petite star is admired for her pert rear - made famous by the tiny pair of gold hot pants worn in her 'Spinning Around' video - but although she would love to show off her body and get dressed up in skimpy clothes, she is coming to terms with the fact she can no longer get away with it.

Kylie confessed: ''Sometimes I forget [I am 44] and I think, 'I must get those hot pants out of retirement.' And then some mornings I look in the mirror and I see 94 not 44. That is the reality before the make-up. And midriff tops are definitely out for good.''

The singer is rumoured to use Botox injections to achieve her wrinkle-free complexion and Kylie revealed she wouldn't rule out cosmetic surgery to preserve her youth as long as it was done tastefully and in moderation.

She added to ELLE magazine: ''I am not against surgery, I haven't gone down that route yet, I don't know whether I will but I am not against it. The only time it isn't amazing is when it's not done well or someone takes it too far.''