It is not the first time that Carey, who divorced Mottola in 1997, has spoken out about their four-year marriage, which she previously has addressed as a “private hell”.

During a 2005 interview with Aliya S. King, Carey explained that the emotional abuse that she was subjected to left her “miserable, crying, and alone”.

She said: “My relationship with my husband was not a physical relationship. It just wasn't.... that relationship shaped who I am. It beyond shaped me. I still have nightmares about it.

“Even though I owned that house, the only thing I felt like I owned was my pocketbook. He didn't even know why I always had my bag with me. But in my mind I thought, 'If something jumps off...I'm ready.' I lived like that for a long time. I used to wish, hope and dream that someone would kidnap me.”

Mariah Carey opens up about emotionally coercive partner: “I had to ask permission to leave the house”