Global superstar Beyoncé has revealed that she "barely recognised" herself towards the end of her pregancy because of the physical changes it brought about.

In a new interview, the 'End Of Time' hitmaker explained that her weight gain and tiredness really took a toll on her confidence while she was pregnant with baby daughter Blue Ivy, but she got through it because the gift of life is the most precious thing of all:

"I didn't feel that I looked beautiful during birth - but who does? After being pumped with all those fluids and gaining so much weight, with my swollen lips and cheeks, I barely recognised myself. I tried my best to roller-set my hair and I wore my (lip) gloss when I arrived at the hospital. I committed to the end and wore my kitten heels. It makes me laugh thinking about it."

"But after many hours of labour, I didn't care how I looked. It was all about the miracle that God gave me - the opportunity to deliver a human being."

She also spoke briefly about her post-baby body and added that it was tougher than she expected to regain her incredible physique:

"I'm proud that my waist came back so fast... I had to get my tone back. I'm definitely softer. But I feel my body bouncing back. Whatever was tight and muscular, like my legs, I'm seeing it come back. You just have to work at it."

Watch Beyoncé's live performance of 'Love On Top' from New York's Roseland Ballroom below: