Madonna insists on complete silence at home when sleeping, it has been claimed.

Melissa Dumas - who claims to have been the singer's nanny between 2005 and 2006 and is publishing a tell-all book - will reveal the super-strict household rules in the tome.

Dumas said: "Madonna won't allow anybody to make noise in the house while she's sleeping - not even running water for showers."

Dumas claims to have lived in four of Madonna's homes with her and her children - ten-year-old Lourdes and six-year-old Rocco - and adhered to her strict rules which includes a complete ban on all television, newspapers and magazines, and a severe dietary regime.

Dumas has sold the rights for her book - tentatively titled 'Live To Tell: My Life as Madonna's Nanny' - to America's Crown publishers.

Los Angeles literary agent Sharlene Martin confirmed "a strong six-figure pre-emptive sale of the book."

It will be co-written by a ghostwriter and fast-tracked for publication in September.

Taken from M&C