Justin Timberlake: I'm no idol

Trousersnake claims he's very down to earth

Tuesday, 23 January 2007

Justin Timberlake hates spending cash and says he's tried to keep his feet firmly on the ground throughout his career.

The singer - who has made millions - was taught to appreciate the value of money at a young age by his family.

'When I was 10 my stepfather bought me some shares in Wal-Mart,' he tells the Daily Telegraph. 'It was my first lesson in money.

'He taught me the right way to spend and save. I like nice things but when I'm in a store, I usually talk myself out of buying anything.'

The 25-year-old, who was previously a member of the boyband 'N Sync, also claims he was raised to be humble - a quality he has preserved despite becoming one of the biggest pop stars in the world.

'I was always removed from the whole idol thing,' he says. 'I cared so much about what I did that stuff didn't register.

'My parents instilled in me the mindset of always being humble, so I'd like to believe that all the teen idol stuff went in one ear and out of the other.'