Janet Jackson Marries Qatari Billionaire

Janet Jackson has moved to quash rumours that she is about to marry her Qatari billionaire boyfriend - by revealing that their nuptials happened last year.

The 46-year-old singer became engaged and then married to businessman Wissam Al Mana, 37, but kept the news under wraps.

Jackson, the younger sister of the late Michael Jackson, said in a statement: "Last year we were married in a quiet, private, and beautiful ceremony."

She gave no details of where or exactly when the wedding took place.

The couple told the US TV show Entertainment Tonight: "The rumours regarding an extravagant wedding are simply not true.

"Our wedding gifts to one another were contributions to our respective favourite children's charities."

It is a third marriage for the American singer who is known for keeping her private life from the media, rarely speaking about her ex-husbands.

She married soul singer James DeBarge in 1984, and the marriage was annulled a year later.

Her 1991 marriage to music video director Rene Elizondo ended in divorce in 2000.

Jackson's revelation about her marriage comes days after her 16-year-old nephew, Prince Michael, carried out his first assignment as an Entertainment Tonight special correspondent.

Michael Jackson's son interviewed director Sam Raimi about his new film Oz The Great And Powerful which comes out in March.