Madonna admits she was ‘jealous’ of Kylie Minogue during Graham Norton interview

Madonna has confessed she was once jealous of Kylie Minogue after believing one of her ex-husbands had a crush on the Australian pop icon.

The Queen of Pop made the admission during her one-off BBC special with Graham Norton, which offered fans a behind-the-scenes look at life as she prepares to release her long-awaited new album, Confessions II.

The special, filmed at London’s Koko – where Madonna played her first ever UK gig in 1983 and later launched Confessions on a Dance Floor in 2005 – featured a surprise cameo from Kylie, who appeared behind the bar to serve drinks.

Their reunion quickly turned into one of the night’s funniest moments.

Referencing the famous T-shirt Madonna wore in 2000 emblazoned with Kylie’s name, Graham asked about the unusual fashion choice.

‘I was actually a little bit jealous of you,’ Madonna admitted, turning to Kylie.

‘Because she was so cute.

‘I think my ex-husband, at the time, had a crush on her. I was like, “I’ll never be as beautiful as Kylie!”‘

The pair burst into laughter as Kylie graciously accepted the compliment.

While Madonna didn’t specify which former husband she meant, she was married to filmmaker Guy Ritchie between 2000 and 2008, around the time she wore the now-iconic Kylie T-shirt. She was previously married to actor Sean Penn from 1985 until 1989.

The light-hearted exchange was just one of several candid moments in the BBC special, which arrives just a week before Madonna releases Confessions II – her first studio album in seven years.

Returning to Koko for the programme also marked something of a full-circle moment for the singer.

The intimate Camden venue was the site of her first UK performance more than four decades ago, before she returned in 2005 to launch Confessions on a Dance Floor, one of the most successful albums of her career.

Now, almost 20 years later, Madonna is back at the same venue preparing to usher in its long-awaited sequel.

If her playful exchange with Kylie is anything to go by, she’s also bringing plenty of self-deprecating humour along with it.