Shakira claims she could belly dance from birth

The 'She Wolf' singer is famed for her hip-swivelling abilities and believes it isn't something she ever had to learn, even though she did have lessons as a child.

The Columbian beauty said: "For me, it was, and is, more of a natural thing. It's something that was practically given to me at birth, and for which I never had to train myself. These movements, they are inside me and I can call them back whenever I need them."

Shakira realises she is a sex symbol to men all over the world but insists she is "flattered" that guys find her attractive because she has never believed she is a beautiful woman.

She added: "I must confess that I feel very flattered - because I never have felt particularly sexy. Anybody who shows me like this is promoting my feminine vanity."

But Shakira – who appears virtually naked in the video for 'She Wolf' – admits it's not easy looking as good as she does, and she has to stick to a rigorous training regime to stay slim and sexy.

She added to German magazine Fit For Fun: "I trained really hard for the 'She Wolf' video - almost a month. I wanted to look good and didn't want to shame myself.

"There was no muscle in my body that did not hurt. I was in pain for days, simply because I'd gone too far."