LONDON: Madonna's private telephone calls are set to be made public - steamy answering machine messages she left for a former lover in the 1990s are set to go on sale in New York.

The Material Girl faxed notes to ex-boyfriend Jim Albright and left erotic messages on his voice mail, and now the letters and taped calls are to be auctioned off - with the recorded messages, on two cassette tapes, expected to fetch in excess of $40,000 (£27,700).

The items are part of an auction of celebrity memorabilia which also includes Jimi Hendrix’s first performance contract, which the star signed for $1 (£0.67) in 1965, and a terry cloth robe which once belonged to legendary boxer Muhammad Ali.

The sale by the Gotta Have It! auction house will take place online, ending on 5 August (09).