Joan Collins, 93, Shares Secrets to Ageless Beauty

Dame revealed how she's maintained her incredibly youthful looks for 45 years, since she shot to international fame as the scheming Alexis Colby in Dynasty.

This month, the Hollywood star, 93, stunned fans as she made a dazzling appearance at the 79th annual  opening ceremony, looking far younger than her years.

And in a new interview, the acting legend opened up about what she does to continue looking so fresh and youthful, sharing her belief that 'taking care of yourself is one of the most important things'.

However, those hoping to learn all the tips and tricks they can use to emulate the glamorous nonagenarian will be disappointed to learn that Joan credits her longevity to the favourable genetics she inherited from her parents.

'I have very good genes – I'm very lucky,' the actress admitted to The Telegraph. 'My father lived to be 87, and for somebody born in 1903 that's pretty amazing.

'My mother took incredibly exceptional care of me and my sister. When we were growing up she gave us all supplements when nobody was taking supplements.'

While she insists she doesn't follow any fad diets or regimented health routines to keep fighting fit, saying: 'I just believe in healthy living. I don't eat junk, I get eight hours of sleep, I exercise. It's very simple.'

Even when it comes to her mental wellbeing, Joan said that she's simply never had any reason to think about it as she has 'perfect' mental health, thanks to her happy childhood, lack of substance abuse and prioritising her loved ones.

'I never have thought about my mental health, ever. My mental health is perfect,' she said. 'I had great parents, I had a wonderful, loving mother, a quite strict father, so I never got into drugs and booze or any of that, so I never thought that there was anything particularly wrong with me. 

'But being healthy is not my main focus. My main focus is my life, my children, my husband, my friends.' 

While Joan is a strong proponent of the mantra that prevention is better than cure and won't hesitate to see a doctor for any minor ailment, 'even if I have a pimple on my face that doesn't go after a couple of months'.

She points out that health and fitness is something you must work to maintain and any bout of serious illness or injury could derail everything, declaring: 'Anybody over the age of 60 who falls is doomed' because 'it keeps you out of the gym, you lose your flexibility, and everything spirals down.'

And it has paid off so far, as she revealed that after being cast as  in upcoming biopic, My Duchess, she underwent a medical test for insurance purposes and proudly relayed: 'They told me I was more healthy than any of the other cast!'

But while plastic surgery has become more and more popular with today's celebrities with the developments of different types of 'tweakments' to maintain their glam looks, Joan has always been resolute in her unwillingness to go under the knife.

'I do not believe in what they call tweakments,' she insisted. 'I've never had them, which is why I look more or less the same as I have done for years.'

In recent years, she has defiantly hit back at accusations that her youthful looks were the result of surgery, insisting she is ageing naturally and that she is 'appalled' by her fellow stars who have indulged.

Refuting plastic surgery speculation to The Sun in 2017, Joan said: 'If people want to think I've had surgery, then… You can tell [I haven't] because I have lines and jowls. 

'When I see women around my age, I think, oh really? My gosh, I look quite a bit... I think I look pretty good!'

While she reiterated in 2023: 'A lot of people think I've had a ton of work done. To set the record straight: I have not.

'I haven't had Botox, I haven't had any tweakments, I haven't had fat injections, and honestly, when I look at the women who have – certainly a lot of women in their 40s – it appalls me.'

Instead, Joan said her age-defying skin was down to her practice of always sleeping on her back and making sure to wear SPF and keep her face out of the sun to prevent damage from UV rays.

'I also always, always sleep on my back,' she explained. 'I've trained myself to, because I used to sleep on my side, scrunched up into the pillow, and then I was told not to because it gives you 'scrunchy face'. Which is absolutely true.' 

She added to You Magazine in 2014: 'I have always worn sun protection and have kept my face away from harmful rays since I was 20. You should see me when I wake up in the morning: my face is so white, it's like a sheet.

'I've saved my face by always wearing a hat in the sun. The rest of me is not as good as it should be, because I do go in the sun. I love getting a tan. It means I can wear off-the-shoulder things.'

However, she does have certain rules when it comes to her skincare routine, previously revealing: 'I don't go to bed without taking off my makeup and putting on night cream. My mother had me and sister Jackie doing that when we were 14.'

While her bedtime skincare routine involves wiping off her makeup with a Nivea cleanser, before applying a night cream by Charlotte Tilbury.

Joan has also let slip one secret tip she learned from Allan 'Whitey' Snyder, best remembered as the personal makeup artist of Marilyn Monroe.

She said: 'Before all big events and post-flights, I get a bowl of ice and cotton pads, cool the pads and place them on my eyes, then lie down for five minutes. It reduces puffiness and refreshes the eyes.'

When it comes to her fitness and nutrition, she has acknowledged she's had to adapt over the years, saying as you get older you 'cannot put that amount of stress on your body'.

In fact, she had to scale back her movement in recent years due to a trapped nerve, which led to her not being able to function for about two months.

However, with the help of physiotherapy, she has been able to fully recover and enjoys gym workouts and Pilates.

Joan described physiotherapy as an essential part of her daily routine and staying active in later life in general.

She told My Weekly magazine: 'I highly recommend working out with a physiotherapist for older men and women who want to stay fit. Half an hour a day is mostly what I do and I've found that it gives me energy.' 

Her philosophy of 'little and often' also applies to her practice of swimming regularly.

Staying so active has kept her limber and mobile, and she has revealed on numerous occasions that she is still able to do the splits 'very easily'.

When it comes to food, Joan tends to favour nutritious whole foods including avocados, which can improve heart health by lowering LDL cholesterol, support digestive health and promote satiety for weight management.

'I eat an avocado every day and have facials in New York with a girl called Tracie Martyn. She works a lot of oxygen into my skin,' she told The Express.

Joan has often said that she stays away from junk food and credits her youthful appearance to a balanced diet

Speaking previously to the Daily Mail, she has said: 'The quality of what you eat is as important as the quality of the products you use.'

'I try to eat a balanced diet. I believe eating avocados is very beneficial and I believe in taking vitamin supplements – I take Vitamin C, E and Omega oils.'

Maintaining a healthy approach to treats and working with a nutritionist to the stars, Gabriela Peacock, has worked wonders in her later life, but Joan says she doesn't deny herself life's pleasures, including a glass of fizz or pudding if she wants it.

She told OK! magazine: 'I don't stuff myself with food. I only eat half of what's on my plate, and I won't deprive myself.

'I'll drink wine, have dessert, eat toast, and have coffee with sugar,' Joan said. 'I think I'm just lucky.'