Image copyright Reuters Image caption The star has taken out restraining orders against several men

Taylor Swift says she is so worried about her safety that she carries military-grade bandages at all times.

"You get enough stalkers trying to break into your house and you kind of start prepping for bad things," the pop star wrote in an Elle Magazine column.

Last year, the star won a restraining order against a man who tried to enter her home armed with a knife.

Another man was arrested last February for attacking her front door with a shovel.

Last month, he was sentenced to six months in jail for a separate incident, in which he broke into her New York apartment and took a shower before falling asleep.

And a third man was issued with a restraining order last September for sending letters in which he threatened to rape and kill the singer.

In light of those incidents, the star wrote: "I carry QuikClot army grade bandage dressing, which is for gunshot or stab wounds."

The fear of violence extended to her concerts, she added.

"After the Manchester Arena bombing and the Vegas concert shooting, I was completely terrified to go on tour... because I didn't know how we were going to keep three million fans safe over seven months.

"There was a tremendous amount of planning, expense and effort put into keeping my fans safe," she wrote.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption The star is expected to release a new album before her 30th birthday

The singer's statement came in a column titled 30 Things I Learned Before Turning 30.

Among other things, she talked about turning off comments on her social media accounts to protect her mental health and learning to love her body.

"A little extra weight means curves, shinier hair and more energy," she told fans.

She also revealed her mother's cancer had returned, describing the illness as a "real problem", and reiterated her opposition to President Trump.

"Invoking racism and provoking fear through thinly veiled messaging is not what I want from our leaders, and I realised that it actually is my responsibility to use my influence against that disgusting rhetoric.

"I'm going to do more to help. We have a big race coming up next year," she said, hinting that she would campaign for the Democrats in the 2020 presidential election.

The star had previously refused to discuss politics - but broke her silence last October by endorsing two Democrats in her home state of Tennessee, enraging alt-right sympathisers who had somehow envisaged her as their poster girl.

Album hints

Although Swift's column was ostensibly written to celebrate her 30th birthday - which falls this December - fans are speculating that it is the first step in a new album campaign.

They believe the Shake It Off singer has been dropping clues about upcoming music on her Instagram account - where a photo of seven palm trees has been interpreted as a cryptic message about TS7, her seventh studio record.

Last week, Swift acknowledged the rumours with a photograph of her cat looking shocked.

"She just read all the theories," teased the star.

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