(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Mary J. Blige says I love you to herself every day, which she thinks is the reason she is successful.

The American singer has had a hard life, suffering abuse at an early age and seeing her father walk out on the family when she was a child. She now works tirelessly to help women who are struggling, opening the Mary J. Blige Center for Women in Yonkers, New York, several years ago. Its linked to her organisation the Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now, which encourages females to improve their life using education and by working on their self-esteem.

Mary feels perfectly placed to offer support due to her experiences and often tells women she meets how she got through hard times.

This started due to my own terrible childhood. I've seen abuse. I know self-hatred and how, if a boyfriend hurts them, they don't feel good about themselves, she told New York Post.

Going through pain of feeling bad about themselves, they can learn about God. He's real. They're His child. Because He loves them, they can have all that's meant for them.

You need a support system. You have to believe in yourself. You must look in the mirror and say aloud to yourself, 'I love you.' That's how I made progress - and so will they.

The 40-year-old has learnt to love herself now, which means she looks after herself better. She goes to great lengths to protect her voice as she knows its her special gift, explaining she takes a humidifier wherever she goes to ensure rooms have the right atmosphere.

She also wears scarves to keep her neck warm and rarely raises her voice to people.

No air-conditioner on show day My voice coach gives me a CD, so I practice those lessons before I go onstage. The throat gets tired. You get hoarse. There's reflux. Sleeping, you burn up your vocal chords. You must care about that. It's a muscle. It needs fine tuning, she explained. (C) Cover Media