Despite several younger models making it beyond the Material Girl in terms of wealth, the original Queen of Pop has remained firm on the top 10 list at No 8.

At over 50, Madonna still knows how to draw a crowd with the best of them, fronting the fourth highest-grossing tour of 2009. She garnered $6m a night and a total of $138m from the tour, and a special episode of the US hit sitcom 'Glee' featuring several of her songs, made another substantial contribution to her earnings from royalties.