CHART-topping singer-songwriter Marina Diamandis has published her first book of poetry and promoted it with a book tour in the UK and the US.

“Very excited for you all to hold this in your hands,” posted former Monmouth School for Girls pupil Marina, about new collection Eat The World.

Rock bible Rolling Stone magazine said the book of 38 poems "intertwines Diamandis’ musings with gorgeous artwork as the singer explores her experiences with dating, reflects on some dark moments in her life, and examines her early career and her “Marina and the Diamonds” days with compassion”.

And the pop star, who grew up in Abergavenny and now lives in Los Angeles, revealed: "Writing this book over the course of a year was a magical, playfully dark process that freed me in ways I couldn’t have anticipated.

"I am of course slightly terrified at putting the contents of my brain and life out there. But I’m equally excited for it to be out in the world. This book is so precious to me.

“There’s stuff that still feels slightly embarrassing to me, but it’s because I am exposing a genuine part of myself that maybe isn’t as glam and glitzy as I would like to portray.

“But I think that’s a healthy thing. That’s freedom to me: being able to show up as yourself and being OK with it.”

Marina and the Diamonds hit the big time in 2010 with debut album The Family Jewels which reached No 5 in the UK charts and was certified gold.

Single Hollywood peaked at No 12, while follow up album Electra Heart went to No 1 in the UK, and was certified gold in the US and here, with singles Primadonna and How to Be a Heartbreaker becoming international hits.

She has amassed four billion worldwide streams and is a certified platinum, Ivor Novello Award-nominated singer-songwriter, releasing five acclaimed albums.

Her global online fan base numbers seven million and many of her songs are huge viral hits on TikTok.

The book of poetry was born out of her recovery from a long period of chronic fatigue syndrome, an "invisible" illness that was finally diagnosed in 2023, which allowed her to start the 'healing' process.

With titles like Sex Robot, E-motion, Blockbuster and Broken Heart Syndrome, Marina says she was able to open up and be more vulnerable in a poem than a three-minute song.

The poems tackle such topics as relationships, loneliness, living in LA, becoming comfortable with yourself as a woman in your 30s, and also dealing with having bulimia in her 20s in the opening poem Aspartame, named after the artificial sweetener.

She writes about a “rail thin” young woman who has had her “tooth enamel dissolved by stomach acid”, and says of eating disorders: “It is a topic that people feel ashamed about or secretive about because that’s the nature of the illness.

“It’s based on secrecy. So I think it’s good to talk about it.”

On the collection, the 39-year-old adds: “I think one of the main themes has been a sense of feeling isolated in some way in my life, or not feeling like I belonged.”

But of her school days at Monmouth School for Girls, she has previously said: “I sort of found my talent there… I had an incredible music teacher who managed to convince me I could do anything.”

Eat the World by Marina Diamandis is published by Penguin Random House and is available online and in bookshops.