The burlesque dancer collects vintage taxidermy and her unusual collection of stuffed animals includes the huge flightless bird and a monkey.

She revealed: "I collect vintage taxidermy: I have two big heart-shaped domes filled with birds, I have a bear rug, a monkey and a full ostrich. I also have a collection of rare feathers I got from a famous place in France that supplied feathers to Josephine Baker, Mistinguett, and all the showgirls in Paris for 300 years."

As well as having a morbid menagerie, Dita also collects vintage lingerie, classic cars, pin-up and burlesque memorabilia, Victorian tea sets and hats.

The 39-year-old sex symbol now has so many pieces of headwear she has a room in her house which she only uses to stores hats.

She said: "My hat collection is massive. I have several hundred, and a whole room in my house devoted to them."

Dita - who was previously married to Marilyn Manson and is now dating Hurts singer Theo Hutchcraft - finds the unusual items she loves on eBay and at flea markets and there`s nothing she enjoys more than uncovering something valuable amongst junk.

In an interview with Collectors Weekly magazine, she said: "I am especially into flea marketing when I`m jet-lagged, and it`s easy for me to wake up at 6am. I love the big flea markets like Long Beach Veteran`s Stadium, my favorite in LA, but I also hit all the little ones around, too. I usually do get recognized, probably because a lot of people that would be fans of me are going to be fans of vintage things, too."

Speaking about eBay, she added: "I love entering my favorite keywords and seeing what comes up, saving searches. It`s such a great way to shop for vintage, I`ve found wonderful, amazing things at great prices. Just last week I bought ... a gorgeous pale blue silk velvet robe, definitely something custom-made and meant for an extravagant woman! It has these huge voluminous sleeves, a train, pleats at the shoulders. It`s really beautiful. I paid $200 for it ... This is what I love about vintage, I love the thrill of the hunt."
sections: Celebrities