Barbra Streisand has opened up on her decision to quit show business at the age of 81, having enjoyed a stellar career in the spotlight. Streisand's career began in the 1960s as she began performing at nightclubs and Broadway theaters, before signing a deal with Columbia Records as well as getting her breakout role in the musical Funny Girl in 1964. Her star continued to soar and she has since won 10 Grammys, two Academy Awards, and five Emmys among a series of other accolades. The singer and actress opened up about her life and her plans for the future in her new memoir, My Name is Barbra, admitting that the time is now right for her to step back from the spotlight. <img class="wp-image-1263235649 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2023/11/GettyImages-1166670917.jpg" alt="Barbra Streisand" width="1024" height="683" />[[imagecaption|| Barbra Streisand is planning to take life a little easier going forward. Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for BSB]] Speaking to the BBC in an interview marking the release of her memoir, she revealed that amid her glittering career she hasn't had "much fun" and wants to just "live life" from now on. In what she says will be her last interview, Streisand explained: "I want to live life. I want to get in my husband's truck and just wander, hopefully with the children somewhere near us. "Life is fun for me when they come over. They love playing with the dogs and we have fun." Heartbreakingly, she admitted: "I haven't had much fun in my life, to tell you the truth. And I want to have more fun." [[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0a-bx1f1oM]] As well as revealing that she is planning to take life a little easier in her eighties and beyond, Streisand also opened up about the more salacious parts of her book. She revealed that she wasn't initially keen on speaking about her A-list lovers in the memoir, but had been told to add the stories in by her publishers in order to sell more copies. Streisand told Gayle King on CBS Sunday Morning: "Listen, I didn't want to write about any of them! My editor said, 'You have to leave some blood on the page.'" The singer had previously dated Miami Vice star Don Johnson, as well as former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau, and celebrity hairstylist and producer Jon Peters. She was also married to Elliott Gould from 1963 until 1971, and married her current husband James Brolin in 1998. [[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR7bEZjE6jU]] Streisand also opened up about her refusal to undergo a nose job despite pressure from the industry and cruel comments during her early career. In an excerpt of the memoir shared by <a href="https://people.com/barbra-streisand-feared-nose-job-would-impact-voice-8387431">People</a>, she explained: "I thought, 'Isn’t my talent enough?' A nose job would hurt and be expensive. Besides, how could I trust anyone to do exactly what I wanted and no more?" She revealed that she "always liked" the bump on her nose and also rejected surgery as it had the potential to change her iconic voice, explaining: "[It] was too much of a risk. And who knew what it might do to my voice? Once a doctor told me I had a deviated septum … maybe that’s why I sound the way I do. "Besides, I liked long noses… the Italian actress Silvana Mangano had one, and everyone seemed to think she was beautiful." <img class="wp-image-1263235650 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2023/11/GettyImages-674917858.jpg" alt="Barbra Streisand" width="689" height="1024" />[[imagecaption|| The singer refused to ever get a nose job in case it affected her voice. Credit: Gary Gershoff/WireImage/Getty Images]] She also addressed the cruel comments she'd received for her looks, referencing a 1964 Time magazine cover story in which the writer described her nose as a "shrine" which gave her face "the essence of hound". Streisand admitted she is "still hurt by the insults and can’t quite believe the praise," adding: "I guess when you become famous, you become public property. "You’re an object to be examined, photographed, analyzed, dissected … and half the time I don’t recognize the person they portray. I’ve never gotten used to it, and I try to avoid reading anything about myself." <h6>Featured image credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Dwight D. Opperman Foundation</h6>

Barbra Streisand, 81, reveals heartbreaking reason she is quitting show business

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