Barbra Streisand once contacted the CEO of Apple to complain that the iPhone was pronouncing her name incorrectly.

The 81-year-old star - who is is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time - has revealed that she personally contacted Apple boss Tim Cook to ask for a change in the pronunciation of her name.

Barbra - who has also enjoyed huge success in the movie business - told the BBC: "My name isn't spelled with a 'Z'. It's Strei-sand, like sand on the beach. How simple can you get?

"And Tim Cook was so lovely. He had Siri change the pronunciation ... I guess that's one perk of fame!"

Barbra previously claimed that her attitude has "scared" a lot of men during her career.

The award-winning icon has always been extremely ambitious and opinionated, but Barbra conceded that her assertive approach has also alienated some people.

She told the Guardian newspaper: "I didn't want to stay in my place.

"I started out wanting to be an actress and I got to acting through my singing. But then that wasn't enough. I wanted to shape things,

"I wanted to write. I wanted to direct. I wanted to produce. I wanted to make decisions. And that got me into trouble.

"A woman in control: that scared men. It scared other women! They weren't ready for it."

Despite this, Barbra has always refused to bite her tongue.

She said: "That's my problem. I would constantly get attacked; I still get attacked.

"I remember a line from George Bernard Shaw's play 'Saint Joan': 'He who tells too much truth shall surely be hanged.'

"I was making TV movies about subjects I loved, about gun control, gay rights, about Margarethe Cammermeyer, who was ousted from the army for telling the truth about her sexuality, and that didn't make me more popular with a lot of people.

"But it's what I believe in my heart is what decency is, and fairness. So that's what I stand up for."