Gloria Gaynor doesn't consider herself a "feminist".

The 81-year-old disco icon - who is best known for her defiant anthem 'I Will Survive' - has insisted she "loves men", and explained that the notion she embraces feminism is the biggest misconception people have about her.

She told the Metro newspaper's 60 Seconds column: "People say to me, 'And since you're a feminist...' Erm, no. Not really.

"I love men. I grew up with five brothers, and I love men.

"I love men who know who they are and are strong enough to take their place, but also strong enough to recognise a woman's strengths and who are able to allow her to exercise those strengths and realise that women are to be partners and not opponents."

Gloria noted that her 2003 documentary 'Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive' - which reflected on the previous 10 years of her live - was a way for her to show her true self for her fans.

She said: "It's sort of an outgrowth of the song 'I Will Survive' because, you know, you can have a dinner for people and you can serve wonderful dishes and all of that, but I wonder how many of them questioned, did you get this from the supermarket?

"Did you get this from a restaurant? Or did you make it yourself?

"And when you can show them the ingredients that went into making whatever it is you made, then they can enjoy it better and they can experience it more fully, and they can make it their own, so that's what I've done."

Gloria embraced the same approach with her own life, and explained how people often project their own feelings and experiences on their favourite artists.

She added: "I think that, when people see an artist, they make up in their minds different things that they feel about them from what they've seen on stage, but what they are really doing is adding things to their own lives, because that's all they have to work with, until something like a documentary comes out and shows them what the real ingredients are."