Gwen Stefani:'I very vain!'

They dedicate hours to making sure they look good, but it's rare to find a celebrity willing to boast about her looks.

But Gwen Stefani is happy to admit to pride in how her hard work has turned out.

'I mean, I’m very vain,' she said. 'That would be my middle name. Of course I am, you know what I mean? I love the visual.'

The singer's vanity seems justified - she shows off her toned figure in a stretch wool dress with leather trim from Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci on the cover of May's issue of the U.S. edition of Elle magazine.

But Gwen, 41, admits there was one time she didn't like her figure - pregnancy.

The mother-of-two said of performing while expecting: 'It was horrible. Certain songs would make me want to puke.  

'You feel pretty gross when you are first pregnant. You don’t feel cute, you feel disgusting. You’re getting fat. It was hard.'

Gwen also addresses speculation that she has inspired today's young stars, like Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Katy.

'Really?' she said. 'I don’t see myself in those girls. I usually put pants on. 

'I see these girls as more going for the sex-symbol thing. I was more, in the band, like a tomboy. Of course, I think every girl is sexy, so there’s going to be a little of that. 

'But I see a lot of younger artists going more toward the sexy thing.'

Happily married Gwen also talks about her nine-year marriage to fellow musician Gavin Rossdale, branding it 'unbelievable' that it has lasted so long, despite their careers.

'The first time we ever kissed was right around Valentine’s Day - we were in New Orleans on tour. So, yeah, I always think about that because it’s unbelievable that we’ve been able to stay together.

'I feel so proud of us - it’s one of my biggest achievements.'

On pop music she says she is happy for her hits to be of the moment.

'When we were growing up, some of the hits were legendary ones that you hear your whole life,' she explained. 'But certain songs, I don’t know if you’ll ever hear them again.

'Because that’s what that music is, like a guilty pleasure, it’s right at the moment. It’s like fashion - it’s now, then it’s gone.'