In a recent interview with Essence magazine, of which she graces the front cover, Janet Jackson has talked about the negative comments which have come since she's been dating her boyfriend Wissam Al Mana.

Her new boyfriend, who is nearly ten years her junior, is a well-known businessman.

Jackson said: "It's horrible. It's really awful.

"And I have to believe it was a man that started that. Mother always raised us to believe that age was just a number.

"All of us - my sisters, my brothers - we'll just tell you our ages because it's all about where you are mentally and how you feel about yourself."

In the interview, Jackson also talked about how she is finally happy with her body.

Check out recent pictures of Janet Jackson on the set of her new film 'For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf'...