Mariah Carey Is Happier Than Ever at 4. Here's Why Her Charmed Midlife Is the Opposite of a Crisis. A writer who has spent time at home and abroad with Mimi, who turned 4. Sunday, digs back into their most intimate conversations - - and says the star is finally. Imagine, if you will, the burden of being bombshell Mariah Carey in the bedroom.

I’d only been with one person in my life,” Carey, a newly single woman after the end of her five- year marriage to former longtime head of Sony Music Entertainment Tommy Mottola, told me back in 1. Following that divorce, she said, “I was being linked to all these men, and I was feeling totally insecure about embarking on any new relationships, because I felt maybe I wasn’t good enough. I felt that I didn’t have enough experience. And I still have that sort of thing.

A writer who has spent time at home and abroad with Mimi digs back into their most intimate conversations -- and says the star is finally ready for her charmed life.

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I get close to people, I’m friends with people, I’ll stay with people, but I’m very guarded in terms of whom I let into my … personal space.”MORE: Mariah Carey's No. Ranked From Best to Very Best. It all stems from deep- rooted stuff that I saw growing up,” Carey said, presumably referring to her older sister’s teenage pregnancy and reported struggles with drug addiction and prostitution, “and I don’t talk about it because it’s not my place.” “It’s definitely this self- protective thing that I have," the GRAMMY winner shared. "I’m not, like, rip- roaring, wild, living it up” - - she clapped her hands for emphasis - - “with a million guys, because that’s not me. And it’s not safe. I guess I’m sort of a contradiction in terms, because I do feel it’s OK to be sexy and free, but there’s a difference between sexy and…promiscuous.” She also admitted at the time: “I don’t know what the hell a date is.” But that was then and this is now, when Carey is looking forward to her third wedding ceremony following her European romp, The Sweet Sweet Fantasy Tour, which, despite canceling its Brussels date, is currently in progress.

As a longtime magazine writer and editor for In. Style, Glamour and Elle, I have interviewed Carey multiple times over the years. Few people outside of her inner circle have seen how, in person, once she lets her guard down, Carey is simultaneously over- the- top hilarious and disarmingly down- to- earth.

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In a 2. 00. 8 interview with ET, she acknowledged it was sometimes hard to find that balance. Watch Quarantine Online Full Movie more. I guess sometimes I’m like, ‘I don’t care what people say.’ And then sometimes I’m like, ‘I hate that picture, I hate that moment and why did that have to be?’” “It is what it is, so you have to let things go,” she said, adding: “Life is a red carpet.” When I recently ran into Carey at Elton John’s annual Oscar party in February, I was surprised - - and heartened - - by something that I have never seen before: Carey being herself in public. Guests caught a rare glimpse of the person behind the persona as she navigated the room without burly security guards in tow to clear her path.

She was a beaming vision in black, table- hopping and exchanging air- kisses with the likes of Tommy Hilfiger. At age 4. 6, she seems happier than ever. Despite a new manager who reportedly has ruffled the feathers of her entourage, Carey’s midlife appears to be the opposite of a crisis. The singer has a long history of heavy- handed people trying to control her career, including, of course, her first husband, and according to Billboard, has had five different teams since 2. Antonio “L. A.” Reid, the longtime record executive and current chairman and CEO of Epic Records - - who is often credited with revitalizing Carey’s career with 2.

The Emancipation of Mimi - - even remarked on her radiance. She looks really happy,” Reid told ET in January, following the news of Carey’s engagement to James Packer. We’ve all been through a lot, but she’s had to do it all in the public’s eye. I think that she’s at that point in her life that she really deserves just to be treated like a lady and the glamorous star that she really is.”MORE: Inside Mariah Carey's Hollywood Walk of Fame. And the perfect star vehicle for Carey’s larger- than- life personality - - along with the perfect man - - may have materialized in the form of Mariah’s World, a forthcoming reality show on E! Las Vegas residency onto the road for her international tour.

It has the potential to serve as an ideal showcase for the working mom behind the diva trappings. As for Carey’s new billionaire dream man, Packer possesses three qualities that make him the perfect fit: 1) He’s rich; 2) He’s a discreet businessman who - - unlike ex- husband Nick Cannon - - seems unlikely to reveal intimate details of their personal life to the media; and 3) He worships the ground that she walks on. Full disclosure: So do I.) One thing's for sure: When the best- selling female artist of the Nielsen Sound. Scan era met the fourth- richest person in Australia, it was a match made in tabloid heaven. But Packer refuses to be filmed by Carey's omnipresent camera crew - - in other words, he has zero interest in trying to steal his future wife's spotlight. Like Carey, he also has children from a previous marriage. And this will be Packer's third time at the altar, as well as Carey's.

I wasn’t always a fan - - of Carey's music, her reputation or her look, which she revealed “was instituted by the powers that be: the young girl with the curly hair at the microphone, belting out a love song. My image was supposed to be a non- image,” Carey explained.

That's why I was in a field wearing a flannel shirt with cutoffs and sneakers - - girls could relate to that. And yes, that was a part of my life, but ever since I've been 1.

Photo: Getty Images. I will never forget Carey’s first words to me, which instantly altered that idea: “You look exotic. Where are you from?” she asked when I introduced myself at her cover shoot for the women’s fashion magazine, Mirabella, in.

Marrakesh, Morocco. Taken aback, I mumbled something about living in New York City’s West Village - - on Gay Street.

Mmm- hmm!” Carey said, looking me up and down before turning to walk away. Of course you do, darling.”. Until that moment, I thought Carey and her ridiculously lavish lifestyle – most famously documented in a home visit by MTV Cribs - - were unintentionally hilarious. What I failed to realize is that she is not only in on the joke, but she’s also quick- witted enough to supply the punchline herself. Watch X-Men: Days Of Future Past Online Fandango.

How to explain the origin of Carey’s campy personality? I loved watching Mommie Dearest as a kid,” she told me in 2. I associated it with glamour.” (Not surprisingly, I didn’t spot any wire hangers in the climate- controlled closet of her penthouse pad in downtown Manhattan.) I explained that in the late- ‘9. Sean Combs to, yes, Donald Trump, and says things like: “When I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can’t help but cry.

I mean I’d love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff.” This fictitious quote had been reported by respected publications all over the globe as well as online. It’s the price of fame in the age of the Internet,” Carey told me with a shrug. What am I gonna do? Get in a tizzy about it? Whatever.”. It turns out that Carey is more of an apologizer than a complainer.

As in: “I’m sorry I kept you waiting,” and, “I’m sorry we don’t have more time to talk.” She also apologized for the crazy Neverland- like party scene that resembled a Moroccan carnival - - camels, snake charmers, belly dancers, fire- eaters, acrobatic children, everyone dressed in freaky costumes - - in which we found ourselves one evening. Please don’t let people think I ride camels every day,” she begged me, surveying the surreal setting. This is all too Michael Jackson.”. Photo: Getty Images.

Need more proof of her sense of humor?