Mariah Carey didn't want to repeat her past with divorce

Mariah Carey was disappointed in herself when she failed to make her marriage to Nick Cannon work because she didn't want to repeat her parents' mistakes.

The superstar and America's Got Talent host Nick split amicably in 2014, after six years of marriage.

The former couple has remained close as they tackle divorce, and in a new interview with Complex magazine, Mariah admits she never imagined she would ever part ways with the father of her twins.

"I never thought I would have babies with someone and then get divorced," she said, explaining her own parents' split when she was young. "Like, 'Oh, great job. Repeat your past'. But life happens. And it was supposed to happen. It's fine. For (the kids), I wish it hadn't happened that way."

Mariah has since moved on and is now engaged to wed Australian billionaire James Packer, and she confesses it's a good thing he is a big fan of her music, because that would have been a deal breaker for the Hero hitmaker.

She explained, "I think if he didn't like my music then how would I be able to handle him being around when all I'm doing is creating new stuff, doing whatever?"

James was recently spotted attending a number of dates on his wife-to-be's Sweet Sweet Fantasy Tour, but Mariah understands he can't always be by her side due to his hectic work schedule.

"I don't expect him to be at every little thing that I do, and vice versa...," she commented. "He's got a lot of stuff on his plate and so do I."

The couple became engaged in January (16) after a whirlwind romance and Mariah is currently enjoying a family summer vacation with her new man off the island of Capri, Italy, on board James' luxury yacht.

The marriage will be Mariah's third - the singer was also previously wed to music executive Tommy Mottola.