Mary J. Blige doesn't allow her husband to have female friends. The No More Drama hitmaker has been married to her manager Kendu Isaacs since 2003, and they have a pact where they agree not to have pals of the opposite sex as she doesn't believe it can 'work' in a marriage.

In an interview with Stella magazine, she revealed: "All females for me, all guys for him. There's none of that, 'Oh, that's my female friend. Oh, that's my guy friend.' No, not in a marriage, I've never seen that work."

Mary is stepmother to Kendu's children, Briana, 18, Jordan, 16, and Nas, 15, from a previous relationship and although she has never had a child of her own with Kendu she considers his 'special kids' as her own children.

The 43-year-old singer said: "I was never sitting around think, 'Oh God, I want a baby. No.' And then these very special kids came along and it was like they were tailor-made for me to be their stepmom. I've known the younger two since they were babies, so they really are my family.

"Being a single person and an artiste, there's a lot of selfishness that you don't even know you have. Being a wife, it's not all about me."