Barbra Streisand once had an obsession with gambling on the stock market.
The 81-year-old actress and singer revealed that buying and selling stocks gave her a "thrill" between 1998 and 2000 when she traded millions of dollars, including investing in Viagra maker Pfizer.
According to the Mirror, she wrote in her memoir 'My Name Is Barbra': "From around 1998 to 2000, I operated Monday to Friday, 6.30am to 1pm. At 6.25am my eyes would open wide, with no alarm .
"I would get up, put on my bathrobe, sit at my new desk with a cup of hot chocolate and start trading. That was a whole new learning experience. I like the game. Whenever I sang in Las Vegas, playing to blackjack."
Barbra revealed that her methods for selecting new stocks were unusual and based on personal preference rather than in-depth research.
She said: "I had to follow the news and pick stocks. I read about this new drug for men called Viagra and thought, 'It's going to be very popular!' It was made by Pfizer, so I immediately bought some shares.'
"I chose Apple because I liked their products. [My PA] Renata loves Starbucks coffee, so I bought Starbucks.
"I once picked a stock because it had my initials. It was fun. I was riding the market's momentum like a roller coaster, and it was scary and exciting at the same time."
Although she loved spending her time trading, Barbra revealed that she eventually quit because it became too stressful.
She wrote: "The main reason I loved it was because it was private. I didn't have to act or sing. No one was watching me. I could do all my transactions over the phone, in my nightgown.
"I don't play with such large sums anymore. After getting burned several times (I lost my shirt, my dress and my nerves in the 2008 financial crisis), I decided to stick with the bonds."
