Pop beauty Janet Jackson's secret marriage was destroyed by her husband's hopeless addiction to prescription drugs. And last night the 34-year old singer revealed her anguish-and thanked her lucky stars that Rene Elizondo never made her pregnant. Speaking for the first time about their marriage break-up, she told News Of The World. "My mother always taught me that bo matter what happens with your marriage you stick with it and you don't give up-and I stuck in there for a long, long time."

But she added "Our marriage died off bit by bit until eventually there was nothing left. Rene was always keen to start a family but something kept telling me 'Not right now Janet, not right now.' The pain I feel at the end of our marriage is nothing compared to how I'd feel if a child had been involved. I've no doubt I'd still be there in the relationship, deeply unhappy just because of that child."

Janet was Mrs Rene Elizondo for nine years. But her fans only discovered the truth last month after divorce papers were filed. According to a law suit filed in New Jersey, Rene, 38, used a false name to get slimming pills and heroin substitues. A friend of Janet said: 'From what we could tell, she managed to get him therapy, but he seemed to be slipping in and out of it. Once I think she even found drugs on him but she couldn't take them away because she was scared he'd go cold turkey.' It was one problem too many. The marriage was cracking up on all fronts.

Janet added: "For Rene, showbiz was new and exciting and he was like a kid in a candy store. Very early on I told Rene I wanted him to be my release from the insane 'famous' life I lead-something normal to come home to. I also wanted him to have his own independence, but he never made any real efforts to carve out his own career."

The couple grew further apart and had their final argument in France where Janet was performing in Lyon. Their row was so bad that she sent him back to their Calfornia home. "I decided that the marriage had finally died," said Janet, whose new single Doesn't Really Matter is out on August 7th.

"Rene later wanted to put out a press release explaining that the split was amicable and that we'd reached a mutual decision," she said. "The truth is, we hadn't at all. It was entirely my decision to end the marriage. It was one of the most difficult moments of my life. Right now we aren't talking. Lawyers are involved and there are some matters mostly financial which haven't been resolved." Janet has offered Rene a £6.8 million pay-off. Rene wants £15.5 million plus their £3 million home - a beachfront estate in Malibu.

Janet, who has sold over 40 million albums, is thought to be worth more than £100 million. In 1991, she signed up to Virgin records for £32 million. Four years later, she thrashed out a £58 million deal-the highest deal ever. "Basically Rene wants more than I am prepared to give him," she said simply. "I've always felt if a relationship ends both people should walk away with exactly what they contributed themselves. Rene always told me that he felt the same way-but as it turns out he doesn't, which is very sad."

Janet met video director Rene in 1986 shortly after the end of her seven-month marriage to singer James DeBarge. She was just 18 when she and James, then 21, eloped to escape her domineering father. Ironically, it was James's drug-taking that helped destroy that marriage too. While she and Rene were together, the couple always insisted they were simply boyfriend and girlfriend.

"I thought our marriage stood a much better chance of survival if we kept it private," she explained. "We did a pretty good job of keeping our marriage secret but as it turned out the marriage itself wasn't that great." Now, as a single girl again, Janet is going on dates. She smiled: "It sounds ridiculous but I don't know how to. I may have married twice but I've never dated. The men I'm attracted to are, of course, the ones who never ask me out. Maybe they're too intimidated, or then again maybe they're just not attracted to me and I'm the dumb one!" "I've had two marriage proposals...unfortunately from men that I wouldn't consider marrying. But I'm happy living on my own for the first time in my life."

She's also delighted about a career going from strength to strength. She was paid £2.5 million to star as Eddie Murphy's fiancee Denise Gaines in Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, which is due out in Britain in October. Her single Doesn't Really Matter is the film's theme song. "I had to audition twice for the job and it was a role that I was desperate to get," she confessed. "I was going to play Cuba Gooding Jnr's wife in Jerry Maguire and it was so disappointing when I didn't get it. So when the part in Nutty Professor was offered I didn't allow myself to get too enthusiastic. But when the call finally came in I was thrilled." Janet has also started work on a new album. "So much has happened in my life that I'm not short of emotional material to draw on," she said, "but I won't be laying my life bare. That wouldn't be fair on Rene. We became friends long before we became lovers and I hope one day we can become friends again."