Barbra Streisand has used the Covid-19 to finally get to work on her long delayed autobiography.
The superstar singer and actress has been working on the book, which was originally due out in 2017 but its release has been delayed as she's insisted on writing it out in full herself.
However, she has used the Covid-19 lockdown to get to work on the much anticipated memoir, which will detail her six decades at the top of showbusiness.
"I actually started eight years ago, writing in longhand," she told the BBC. "But I (recently) realised I have to concentrate on this, which the quarantine year helped me do. It's almost finished now."
With the memoir now well on the way, and a new album of archival recordings, Release Me 2, due to hit the shops, the star is looking to cement her legacy - both as an artist and a philanthropist.
"I have to plan on what universities are going to get my proceeds," she explained. "And we're still fighting climate change. You know, it was 1989 when I gave my first grant to the Environmental Defence Fund."
In addition to having her own foundation that raises funds for selected charities, she has also funded university buildings and even bought Disney stock for Gianna, the young daughter of George Floyd, the African-American man unlawfully killed by a police officer last year.
Streisand said her desire to build a lasting legacy is down to her father's premature death when she was just a baby.
"My father died at 35 and in a way I'm trying to carry on his legacy, too," she explained. "And that's what I love about making movies and recordings, it lives on, after you."
Release Me 2 is out on Friday.
