Intimate portrait of a pop star at play: Rihanna shares her holiday snaps with her fans after sailing round Italy with her friends By Georgina Littlejohn

It's very rare that fans get a behind-the-scenes glimpse at their idols, many of whom prefer to keep their personal life private.
But Rihanna fans were in for a treat today when the pop star posted a selection of intimate snaps from her recent break from her world tour.
The 23-year-old put the photos on her Facebook page which showed her relaxing with some of her close girlfriends on board a yacht off the coast of Italy.

Bikini babe: Rihanna throws a sexy over-the-shoulder pose as she relaxes on the deck of a luxury yacht while sailing round Italy

Posing: Rihanna worked the camera as she relaxed on board by the hot tub

Wearing a pink bikini, the star poses on deck before larking about with one of her friends as she lets her hair down.
The pictures were taken this summer, possibly during the three-week break in her Loud Tour after finishing in England having played the V Festival, and making her way to South America.

High kicks: Rihanna and her friend looked like they should have been in a chorus line as they posed for a picture

Me and my girl: Rihanna strikes a pose while her friend just beams for the camera

And it looked as though she was really getting into the swing of her time off as she and her friends took over the luxury yacht and went off to explore the coastal towns of southern Italy.
Rihanna brought along her very close bunch of pals for the girlie break and even with no men on board they still looked as though they were having a very sexy time of it.