Mariah Carey gives Oprah viewersMariah Carey gives Oprah viewers a sneak peek at her underwear collection a sneak peek at her underwear collection

Mariah Carey showed off her extensive lingerie collection on the Oprah Winfrey show yesterday.

But male fans hoping for a titillating display shouldn't get too excited - the singer simply opened her underwear closet to the TV crew.

The pop star, 38, showed off her New York apartment to the Oprah audience and revealed the diet secrets behind her slender new look.

Lady in satin: Mariah Carey lets Oprah's TV crew view her predominantly-pink lingerie collection

Mariah has slimmed down to promote her 11th studio album E=MC2 and new single Touch My Body, which broke Elvis Presley's record for the most U.S. number ones for a solo artist.

Opening her underwear wardrobe to the Oprah crew, Mariah said: "This is the first time I have ever let anybody in my lingerie closet - anybody with cameras.

"Typically I throw on some comfortable PJs, or perhaps some boxers and a little tank, and just call it a day and go to sleep.

That's a lorra lorra lingerie: Mariah's underwear collection

If we are feeling extra good about ourselves after our little diet I might like another type of ensemble.

"I kind of collect lingerie. I collect perfume bottles, all things feminine."

Mariah admitted she couldn't resist buying lingerie during her annual trips to the Italian isle of Capri.

"Sometimes I'll find things there that they don't have here."

Despite declaring the media obsession with celebrities' weight as "ridiculous", Mariah decided to get in shape last year after a friend made a comment about her figure.

Bikini body: Mariah shows off her slender new figure in a flattering red bikini

Come on in, the water's lovely: Mariah urges her fans to get fit in the pool

Mariah got a personal trainer Patricia Gay - who she flies in from St. Barts for their training sessions - and started to eat sensibly.

The curvy singer works out for an hour each day and prefers to do most of her exercise in the pool.

She explained: "Working out and being on a diet has made me feel healthier, so that's a good thing.

"What's great about working out in the pool is that the water acts as resistance, so you're actually exercising twice as hard without feeling it."

Keeping trim: Mariah is put through her paces by personal trainer Patricia Gay

Mariah Carey is airbrushed into her very own fantasy woman for album cover

Mariah Carey appears to be telling porkie pies again - via a heavily retouched promotional photo.

The singer would have the public believe she is a bronzed, model-thin goddess - rather than the paler, curvier woman she really is.

A heavily-retouched Mariah, 37, appears to have transformed herself into her very own fantasy woman for the cover shot of new album E=MC2.

On the cover, Mariah is seen wearing a short gold dress, and looks lithe, extremely long-limbed and heavily tanned.

Bronzed imitation: Mariah Carey has transformed herself into a bronzed, lithe-limbed version of herself for the cover of her new album. But seen last night in New York, the reality is somewhat different

She looks so flawless, that her usually recognisable features disappear, making her resemble an oil painting.

But in reality, although the star looks in great shape, she looks shorter, more muscular, and a lot paler than the dipped in bronzer look she's sporting on the album cover.

It's becoming something of a habit, as last month the singer was unveiled as the unrecognisable cover star of US women's magazine Allure, due to heavy re-touching.

The real thing: Mariah looks paler, curvier and more muscular than the long-legged creature on the cover of her new album, as she stepped out in New York last night

The singer is currently in excellent shape having showed off her newly-sculpted body in the video for her new single.

Mariah's latest music video for song 'Touch My Body', shot by X-Men director Brett Ratner, sees her cavorting scantily-clad in a nerd's fantasy.

Mariah said recently: "One of the rumours I just heard about was that I spent $150,000 in plastic surgery. What in the ham sandwich do they think I did? It's very annoying."

The singer - who is currently dating record executive Mark Sudack - said she definitely wants to start a family in the future, but only when she is in a position to devote herself entirely to a child.

Mariah Carey Launches Perfume at Macy’s

Mariah had her in-store appearance for her new fragrance M by Mariah Carey today at Macy’s Herald Square in New York. The singer arrived in a Bentley and made her way down the purple carpet as only Mariah can do. Check out the photos after the jump.