A softer shade of Pink

But this mega-talented singer has a tender – even girlie – side she’s finally ready to show

Pink doesn’t need a bodyguard. In fact, she has an entourage of exactly one – her tour manager, Nick Cua – when she arrives for her exclusive WH interview. “She can take care of herself,” Cua says.

It’s what you’d expect from the fearless 30-year-old singer, who burst onto the music scene almost a decade ago by crashing a motorbike into her cheating ex’s apartment in her There You Go video – and the brave soul who reportedly ripped into Kanye West at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards after he obnoxiously robbed Taylor Swift of her award-winning moment.

But the 160cm firecracker couldn’t be sweeter or more polite, thanking the WH team for featuring her because “I’ve worked hard for this body!”

The singer talks candidly to us about enduring a year-long separation from her husband, and how ramping up her workout helped restore her confidence.

Is it Pink or Alecia?

Alecia’s cool.

Is Pink your Sasha Fierce [Beyonce's alter ego]?

[Laughs] No! Pink is just me. Chi-Chi Marie is my Sasha Fierce. My girlfriends named me that. All of their middle names are Marie. Mine’s Beth, but to them I’m Chi-Chi Marie.

Your body's hotter than ever. You're a 10! Those abs!

No, no! I feel like a seven and a half! My man abs are pretty full-on. I get a lot of flak for it. That’s where the masculine thing comes in, people saying it’s not normal for a girl to have [those]. But I’m OK with it. I think it’s because I was a gymnast for eight years, from ages four to 12. My body was made before my bones were fully grown. Gymnasts are short, stocky, muscular powerhouses.

You had an androgynous look in the past, but you're more feminine these days. What's behind this new softer side?

Last year, when I was going through my separation [from competitive motocross racer Carey Hart], I was in Malibu running every day just to keep from burying myself in the sand. You’ve got to make yourself feel good at times like that. Even if it’s a pain in the ass and you hate working out, the endorphins and the stress you bring down [help]. You feel strong, healthy. You feel good about yourself, your jeans fit.

You thank Carey in the Funhouse liner notes saying "You took my heart and made it bigger". But when you were making the album, weren't you really pissed off with him?

[Big sigh] Long-term relationships are a layered onion. There is something about him I love, and I want him to be OK, even if he’s not with me.

How is that different from past relationships?

When I met Carey, I was an abused puppy in the corner, ready to bite anyone who put their hand out. And there’s a part of me that will always be like that. But he was the first man I was with who allowed me to take a deep breath [she exhales] and close my eyes and fall backward. And most of the time, he was there. That’s more than I can say about others.

So when I say he took my heart and made it bigger, my heart was like this clenched fist. And even after he broke my heart, still, I had two bigger halves. I have more capacity to love and to be loved.

You've been touring for more than a year. How do you stay fit on the road?

Ever hear of [the workout videos] P90X? My brother and his wife are both in the Air Force; they do marathons and triathlons. I went to visit and [she was doing P90X]. I couldn’t keep up with her – and she’d just had her first baby four weeks before. I was like, this is bullshit! I will perfect this thing! So usually, I wake up and do an hour of cardio, then an hour of P90X or yoga, then a half-hour of warm-up [during show rehearsal]. I do that six days a week.

And on the seventh day, she rests?

Yeah. I try to make it a show day so I’m still getting cardio. I have to be able to run up those stairs as many times as I do and be able to sing at the same time. I’m an asthmatic. I have to be on that treadmill singing to get my lungs right.

Do you like working out?

I like results. I like feeling strong. It keeps my mental floor higher.

So you don't have a personal trainer?

No. I don’t work well with trainers. [Makes air quotes with her fingers] “Does not work well with others.”

Didn't you get kicked off the gym team as a kid?

Yeah. I was told, “It’s not an individual sport.”

You used to show off by doing 18 backflips in a row. How many can you do now?

[In a sad baby voice] Two. I separated my shoulder the night before my US tour started.

You started this interview by saying you hope your body rates a seven and a half. But with all the serious workouts, do you think you'll make it to a 10?

[Cracks up] If they figure out how to make me a little taller, then maybe I’ll get upwards of eight.

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