After years of personal and professional struggles, things are finally going Mariah Carey's way. She's got a highly-anticipated, new album about to hit stores, a buzz-worthy role in the film 'Precious,' and she and husband Nick Cannon have discussed starting a family. Carey is glad for for her second wind, admitting to In Touch, "Honestly, I never thought I'd live this long."She adds, "I have always been grateful for everything I had, but my personal life was a mess. So many artists just exist for their careers and then burn out quickly. That was me before I met Nick, and he helped me. I always thought that I wouldn't be here at this point. I was thinking, 'Okay, I've got another year of my life left. This has got to be the end of it.' Finally, he was like, "Stop talking like that."
The singer/songwriter, who will turn 40 on her next birthday, thinks the milestone is paid too much attention in Hollywood. "I find it offensive," she explains. "It unfairly taints women in particular, and makes people look at you differently. I lived with that my whole life."
Before Nick, she says, her own preoccupation was worse. "I have been obsessed with the whole Marilyn Monroe thing my whole life - all those artists who died young," she says. "Michael Jackson. At one point, we talked about that stuff. I can't reveal what he thought. But yes, we had a conversation about it once."
With her happy marriage, Carey's focus is now family. While Cannon claims two kids are the goal, Carey says, "Of course, we'd be happy with one. I want to be able to manage the right amount of attention. We are so busy - if you have six kids running around, no one gets what they need. Kids need a lot of attention."
Cannon reveals, "It's at the forefront of our minds. We're very close."
Read the full interview with Mariah and Nick in the new issue of In Touch magazine.
