Missy Elliott feels "blessed" to be alive.

The 'Work It' hitmaker has struggled with autoimmune disorder Graves' disease - which can cause anxiety, fatigue, and weight loss - and depression over the years but she is feeling "so much better" now and relieved to be strong and healthy.

She told People magazine: "Every day I wake, I'm blessed to be here and in good health.

“I’m feeling so much better now. That was a run. Every now and then you get a little ache in the leg or the knee, but outside of that, I feel good."

The 52-year-old singer is hitting the road for the first time since 2004 with her first ever headline tour 'Out of This World - The Missy Elliott Experience' - which will also feature her friends and collaborators Ciara - and she's "super excited" about her plans for the concerts.

She said: "I’m hanging in there. It’s full days, then I go home, and the work continues. But I feel good. I’m super excited...

“Listen, every morning my regimen is I get up, wash my face, brush my teeth and walk.

“I say my prayers as I’m walking, and then all of these ideas start coming to mind.

"I’ll call everybody like, ‘I want to swing from this,’ and they’re like, ‘Do you know how much that costs?’ ”

The 'Work It' hitmaker admitted the tour has been a long time in the making.

She said: “Ciara had been asking me and asking me. I’d be like, ‘Okay,’ but then I’d always find myself in the studio doing something else.”

But as well as her health issues, Missy admitted she retreated from the spotlight because she is "most definitely an introvert".

She added: “I’m shy."

Asked how she reconciles that with her music stardom, she replied: “I don’t know. It’s one of those things I can’t really explain.”

Ciara can't wait to get on stage with her friend.

She said: “Missy has always been one of my greatest inspirations and like a big sister to me.

"She is the definition of a true artist. She has always raised the bar to the highest level, and I feel so blessed that we have been able to share some of our biggest hits together.

"I have no doubt we are going to give the fans an out of this world experience."