When she turned 70 last February, Jane Seymour simply said “I feel the same”. The star, who played the Bond girl Solitaire in the James Bond film Live and Let Die, has aged well. She’s 71 now but still grabs the attention of the world with her looks. She recently stunned the paparazzi at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in 2022 and at 67 featured on the cover of Playboy.
Her healthy lifestyle consists largely of healthy eating, pilates, vitamins, and daily walks. But in a recent interview she revealed her “best anti-ageing secret”, and it’s none of the above.
The star believes the key to her slow ageing is simply to look after her skin.
“Using retinol at night, protecting yourself from the sun, using the great skincare that plumps your skin … and pretty much anything that makes me feel healthy, is the best anti-ageing secret I know,” she told NewBeauty.
In the interview, she said she was “lucky” that she stopped “sun-worshipping” years ago but wished she could tell her younger self the importance of not “basking in the sun”.
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“I don’t have many regrets, but I do wish I could tell that younger version of myself— that young girl who lived in England where it’s cloudy and rainy most of the time — that she shouldn’t bask in the sun with a reflector board and cooking oil during those two weeks of vacation,” she added.
The association between good health and a glowing tan is a myth, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
The organisation explained that tanning “damages your skin cells” and “speeds up visible signs of ageing”.
In fact, they suggest “the ‘glow’ of a tan is the very opposite of healthy; it’s evidence of DNA injury to your skin.”
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But protecting your skin isn’t just a matter of cosmetics – research has shown that healthy skin can protect the rest of your body.
According to the American Food and Drug Administration, overexposure of UV radiation can suppress the “proper functioning” of the body’s immune system.
It can also increase sensitivity to sunlight, diminish the effects of immunisations and cause reactions to medicines.
“Since your skin plays such an important role in protecting your body, you should keep it as healthy as you can. This will help you keep from getting sick or having damage to your bones, muscles, and internal organs,” explains the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
Alongside moisturising and avoiding strong soaps, there are several lifestyle changes you can make to implement Seymour’s “best anti-ageing tip”.
Changing your diet is the first port of call.
Diets rich in fish oil, or fish oil supplements, and low in unhealthy fats and processed carbohydrates “might promote younger looking skin”, according to Mayo Clinic.
Keeping your stress levels down is another thing you can do to limit skin damage.
“Uncontrolled stress can make your skin more sensitive and trigger acne breakouts and other skin problems,” explains the organisation.
To avoid uncontrollable stress, make sure you are getting enough sleep. Mayo Clinic even suggests you “scale back your to-do list” to free your time up for things you enjoy.
Despite sticking mostly to natural methods of anti-ageing – when she was 70, Seymour said she had “nothing against” having a face-lift.
“I think it’s great, and if I felt that somebody could do something that wouldn’t change my face, and I would have the results where I would look just like me, I would do it. I’m not saying I’d never do it, but I haven’t done it yet.”