Gabrielle says leaving the house without her eye patch on will never happen.
The ‘Dreams’ hitmaker wears the signature accessory to hide her drooping eyelid, caused by the condition ptosis which can also cause minor visual impairment, and Gabrielle says she would feel naked if she was seen without it in public.
In an interview with Britain’s Guardian newspaper, she admitted: "The idea of going out and showing my eye is like going out without my knickers on. It just wouldn’t happen."
The 49-year-old star was bullied at school for her patch, but says she always fought them off and, ultimately, the nasty comments gave her a "thick skin".
The ‘Out of Reach’ singer explained how "because I wasn’t bonking all these boys at a young age. And I’d be like: ‘Eeeeugh, eeeeugh, eeeeugh’".
She added: "But I never fought like a girl. I grew up with three brothers. "Who’s got time to pull hair? Come off it! I developed a thick skin and never went home and cried to my mum about it."
Gabrielle, who releases her comeback record ‘Under My Skin’ on August 17, her first in 11 years, also opened up about the deaths of music legends such as Prince and Michael Jackson, and how she feels the "stress" of the music industry got to them.
The ‘Rise’ hitmaker says she is "glad" she didn’t push herself to her limits to be "the best".
She said: "It’s the bloody stress that kills you. There’s that quest that you’ve always got to be the best, you’ve got to stay on it.
"Maybe I was never hungry enough, but I’m glad for me I was never of that mindset."
Meanwhile, Gabrielle is looking forward to reaching the milestone age of 50 as she finds aging "liberating".
She said: "I’m 50 next year and can’t wait.
"Nah. I was 49 in July. I’m probably the only woman who doesn’t misquote their age.
"It’s so liberating. I’m doing what I love doing, surrounded by the people I love."
Gabrielle won’t leave house without eye patch
