Kanye West had loads of attention from other girls and it got too much ... I wasn’t OK being one of many

Former flame ... Brooke Crittendon dated Kanye West for two-and-a-half years

KANYE WEST’S ex has lifted the lid on the crazy world of the rap icon – and warned his new love Kim Kardashian of the perils of dating the superstar.

Brooke Crittendon dated Kanye, 35, for two-and-a-half years as the eccentric pop maverick shot to global fame.

And as he settles down to have his first child with reality TV beauty Kim, 32, his former love has revealed for the first time what drives the star’s ego.

Brooke, 31, told how Kanye was obsessed with “the feminine form” — especially curvy, brunette Kim.

She believes he even watched the socialite’s infamous sex tape before finally ending up with his dream girl last year — but she is not convinced it will last.

Bump-y road ahead ... for couple Kanye West and Kim Kardashian

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And on his new partner, Brooke said: “For Kanye, what other person besides Kim Kardashian is there?

“There’s Halle Berry, J-Lo and Beyonce but they are all taken. She fits into his brand.

“Part of being untouchable is having what other people want. It’s about saying, ‘Everybody wants her and she wants me’. That makes sense in Kanye’s world.

“I know he has had a thing with her for a while. I’m sure he watched her tape. After we broke up, we caught up as friends and he mentioned her, I knew something was there.

“In Hollywood, you cannot say ‘forever’. Them being together satisfies them for now.

“Having a baby ticks a box. She wanted kids and it’s his legacy.”

Brooke met Kanye in 2004 when he was the opening act for hip-hop star Usher at his show in New York.

She was working as a production assistant for MTV and got her hands on backstage passes because she was a huge Usher fan. But it was up-and- coming rapper Kanye who chatted her up backstage and the pair began dating.

Within months the loved-up couple were inseparable and Kanye, who was based in Los Angeles, soon bought a New York pad to be closer to Brooke.

Romance ... Kanye West and Brooke Crittendon in 2006

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Brooke, who was brought up by a single mother in working-class Baltimore, then spent a whirlwind 30 months with Kanye. He introduced her to a world of showbiz excess.

She revealed: “By day I was working in an office and in the evening this fairy godmother would arrive and I’d have all these amazing experiences. It was like a two-year trip to Disneyland.

“We went to his first Grammy Awards together in 2006. He was nominated for Album Of The Year for Late Registration and U2 won. I remember Bono came to his dressing room after the show and said he thought Kanye should have won and that he was a big fan.

“Our first anniversary was the first day of his tour in Miami. After the show we went back to our suite and there were hundreds of roses and the orchestra section from his concert were in there playing the song, It’s Our Anniversary, by Tony! Toni! Tone!

“His place in New York was opulent. I remember this chair that was made completely of teddy bears. He loved it.

“And he had this Sistine Chapel thing going on in the dining room. Someone had hand-painted these cherubs all over the ceiling.”

Keeping up with Kanye ... Kim and rapper in clip from her reality TV show

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But despite his public image as a rap egomaniac, Brooke told how the Grammy-winning Love Lockdown singer was secretly insecure and terrified she would leave him. She revealed: “He was not macho — he needed you to be with him and needed your opinion. He was quite vulnerable.

“He was insecure as he couldn’t be with me every day. I got the impression he worried he wasn’t good enough for me. He needs people to tell him he is good and that he is needed and wanted.

“He wouldn’t start his show unless I was at the side of the stage. One night the show was delayed because he couldn’t find me.

“He refused to go on till I’d told him it was going to be OK.”

The pair eventually split up because Brooke could not handle sharing her man with a string of other beauties.

She revealed: “I was very naive. I was a normal girl and in my life you meet a guy, you go on three dates and that’s your boyfriend. But he was a superstar and it got too much for me to handle.

“I was never OK being one of many — or even one of a few.

“There was a lot of attention from other women. Kanye was very open and honest but it ended up with me knowing too much. I don’t want to be silly and say it wasn’t cheating because I knew about it.

Hot TV ... Brooke says she reckons Kanye watched Kim's sex tape

“But he wanted and needed me to be OK with certain things I wasn’t OK with. He was a good boyfriend in f***ed-up circumstances. It ended because there were a lot of arguments and a lot of fights. It became really nasty.”

Brooke added: “He definitely had an appreciation for the feminine form and a curiosity. As a celebrity, sex becomes cheap but his obsession with sex was more sophisticated.”

Kanye got back with his ex, fashion designer Alexis Phifer, shortly after he broke up with Brooke. The pair became engaged before splitting again in 2008.

Then in April last year he began dating Kim and last month he announced they were expecting their first child.

Brooke thinks his decision to settle down was inspired by his desire to be like his mentor Jay-Z.

She explained: “He admires Jay-Z and they are very close. Over the years Jay has been a role model to him.

“Whether it is starting to be more mature, taking chances with clothes or getting married and starting a family, ultimately he takes those cues from Jay.”

Brooke has watched her ex’s relationship with Kim unfold on Kim’s reality show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians — although Kanye has pledged not to bring up his baby in front of the television cameras.

Revelations ... Brooke Crittendon chats to Pete Samson

Brooke said: “I watched the show when he made Kim throw away all her old clothes.

“I see why something like that could be demeaning — robbing her of her individuality.

“There was a pressure on me to change overnight, to be a certain way, to dress a certain way.

“But the Kardashians are accustomed to that anyway. I was just a normal girl.

“I was surprised to see him appear on that Kardashian show at all. I think the decision to not feature the baby is him putting his foot down.