Dita Von Teese: I'm shy

Burlesque dancer and pin-up model Dita Von Teese has just launched a new lingerie collection with Wonderbra. She spoke to Newsbeat about her personal underwear collection, pre-performance nerves and what it's like to be spanked on stage.

How did you get involved with making your underwear range?

I have a signature collection with Wonderbra and they approached me on collaborating with them and creating a line. I have a long-time fascination with lingerie.

My first job was working in a lingerie store and really my love of vintage style lingerie in particular was what launched my career as a pin-up model and burlesque performer. I always knew I would do something with lingerie.

Do you have a whole room full of underwear?

I have several armoires full of lingerie that I wear all the time and then I have several trunks of corsets. And then I have all my stage lingerie. I have lots and lots of boxes in storage. I'm a bit of a pack rat.

After a relationship with rocker Marilyn Manson, do more people recognise you on the street than before?

I have a lot of female fans and I like it when people come up to me - it's very nice. I'm a shy person.

That's what I worked my whole life for. I've been performing burlesque and creating pin-up pictures for 17 years. I don't have any complaints about it. Sometimes though you just feel a bit like, 'Do I have toilet paper on my shoe?'. But I've felt like that the whole of my adult life because I've always dressed extravagantly.

How do you feel before you do a performance - do you get nervous?

The model is famous for her raunchy burlesque routines

With my show, of course I get nervous because I think it's important to retain a bit of nervous energy to keep you on your toes and to keep you focussed. There haven't been many moments in my life where I didn't feel nervous. But I don't get obviously overwhelmed with stage fright ever.

Do you ever have trouble with the audience when you're performing?

Not lately. I think most of the audience is pretty well behaved. When I first started performing burlesque in the early 90s I think it might have been more of an issue. A lot of people didn't understand what burlesque was.

I've definitely been smacked on the rear end a few times. More than often I've turned round and seen that it's a girl. They all want to touch - like, 'It's sparkly, it's pretty - can I touch it?'.

I don't really have much trouble with men being aggressive with me on stage.

Is it true you have a film project next year?

I have a couple of movie projects and I'm just working with this really wonderful acting coach who's one of the greatest acting teachers of all time. She's responsible for Charlize Theron's acting and Eva Mendes and Halle Berry.

So she trained with all these wonderful women and she's taken me on - luckily for me - as a personal project.

I'm excited to perhaps make a film. I really want to make films that have something to do with who I am and what I do best. I'm trying to stay within that old Hollywood idea of making films that have something to do with my world.