Bette Midler Nearing Retirement

Bette Midler is ''coming to the end of the line'' when it comes to her career.

The 69-year-old star - who is currently touring Britain for the first time in 35 years - has confessed she's been thinking about retiring as she's already achieved her ''childhood dream''.

She told Daily Mail Weekend magazine: ''I might stop at some point. I'm coming to the end of the line. I have to admit it. When you have more of the road behind you than ahead, it becomes a very focusing thing.

''You start thinking about the world. I've never been to Africa or South America. I've never seen a rhinoceros. I'm not saying that entertainment is a childish thing but, in time, you do grow up. I've achieved my childhood dream. Now the dream is just about over. I'm still alive, still vibrant. I'd like to see what other dreams I can come up with.''

The 'Hocus Pocus' actress left home for the bright lights of New York City just before her 20th birthday and admits it wasn't quite what she expected.

Bette explained: ''I wanted to be in the theatre, to be a part of those things I'd seen in magazines. But when I got there, there was a garbage strike and I was walking along through piles of rubbish 10ft high. It was a very steep learning curve. But I believed with all my heart that something was going to happen. And it did.''