Shakira doesn't worry about her figure because her boyfriend "doesn't like her skinny".
The 36-year-old singer is dating Spanish soccer star Gerard Piqué and they have son Milan together, who turns one later this month. Having a family has made Shakira realise what is important in her life.
"My man, Gerard, prefers meat over bone. He doesn't like too skinny," she laughed to US magazine Glamour. "That takes pressure off. I already have a lot to worry about. This month I'm not exercising because I have an album to finish and I have a baby. And I like these pastries in front of me."
The star has teamed up with Rihanna for their duet Can't Remember to Forget, which is out next week. Shakira has nothing but praise for the younger star and can't believe how much fun they had in the studio.
"[W]orking with her was utopia. She's the sexiest woman on the planet," Shakira enthused. "And at the end of the day, we're both just basically Caribbean girls. The chemistry was so good and so real. She taught me dance moves. She was a sweet teacher."
The singer, along with some others, founded a charity to help poor children in her native Columbia receive education in 1997. It is one of her many philanthropic ventures and she is pleased to be able to give back.
"I feel like I'm not on earth just to shake it and shake it endlessly, you know?" she explained.
The star is pleased her fame has allowed her to help other people and as she's got older she's realised that is the key to what she does. Being in the spotlight for the sake of it is of no interest to her.
"Success happened little by little for me. I tasted the flavour of fame in small doses: I started at ten years old when I won a music contest; I was performing at birthday parties, company meetings. I met with a record executive when I was 13 and sang Material Girl to a cassette-tape boom box," she explained. "I've shaken hands at every radio station, from Honduras to Ryan Seacrest's. One day [I realised I was famous] enough. But here's the thing: I'm still hungry. But I'm not hungry for fame - just the need to prove to myself that I can still do this."
