After Gwyneth Paltrow showed off her hot bod, we look at other stars shining bright at 44
These celebrities show mid-40s to be an age representing the peak of sexy perfection
GLAMOROUS Gwyneth Paltrow is not the only famous face who’s fabulous at 44.
Yesterday we showed her looking sensational in beachwear in a photo session shot in a supermarket that seemed sure to bring smiles to the aisles.
Here, NIKKI WATKINS presents other stars of the same age who prove clearly that lithe begins at 44.
We also take Gwyn’s sexy store look on the road while a psychologist explains why that age represents the peak of sexy perfection.
Dita Von Teese
THERE is no slowing down for the glam American burlesque dancer as she heads through her fifth decade.
Dita has recently announced that her biggest stripping show, The Art of Teese, will go on the road next year.
Her impressively youthful look may be in part due to her fresh outlook, as well as taking care to look after herself.
Last year she released a book, Your Beauty Mark, and addressed the subject of ageing in a magazine article. She wrote: “I’m going to get awesomer.
“I’m going to get smarter, I’m going to get funnier, and I’m going to get more interesting to be around.”
Sofia Vergara
NOW the highest-earning actress on television, Sofia is the envy of many twentysomethings.
The Colombian-American star of Sky 1 comedy Modern Family – who earns an astonishing £265,000 an episode – married hunky Magic Mike star Joe Manganiello, five years her junior, in a star- studded ceremony last year.
Showing her confidence about ageing, she said: “Like any woman I’d complain that my thighs were too big or whatever, but I feel comfortable with my curves.
"People expect me to have them, it’s a natural process. I’m trying to do it gracefully.”
Jennifer Garner
SHE was the ultimate girl next door in her early career but since hitting her 40s the Dallas Buyers Club actress has gained a reputation for her sizzling performances.
Last year Jennifer was left humiliated after it emerged that her estranged hubby Ben Affleck had slept with their nanny but she won respect for managing to find a way of co-parenting without a bitter fallout.
The star credits her no-nonsense mother Patricia for passing on her resilience and down-to-earth approach.
She said: “My mum is the woman least marked by vanity of anyone I know, but in the best possible way.
“She just isn’t focused on it, and doesn’t do make-up and hair – she’s just herself.”
Cameron Diaz
NOW in her 40s, the Shrek star has found a new string to her bow as the author of two books on health matters.
In 2013 came The Body Book, which reached No 2 on The New York Times Best Seller list, and this year she followed it up with The Longevity Book.
Her self-confidence has led her to shun the A-list norm of full make-up, and she is being snapped at events bare-faced.
Of her latest book she says: “I feel like ageing has got a bad rap.
That’s why I wanted to write this book – so that we could understand what ageing really is, so that we can all empower ourselves in our own quests to live well, and for a long time.”
Claudia Winkleman
FILM critic, Radio 2 broadcaster, journalist and most famously, Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia’s career has reached dizzying new heights as she progresses through her 40s.
She doesn’t see age as a barrier to success and has hit out at society’s constant quest for eternal youth.
Claudia says: “We shouldn’t try and stay young – we should all buy heavy tweed blankets and get cats.
“The obsession with looking young is bizarre because the people I think look fabulous are getting old with aplomb and don’t give a toss.”
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DRESSED FOR SEXCESS
RESEARCH shows that women in their early 40s feel more confident about their bodies, so are less inhibited in the bedroom and happy to try things that give them more sexual pleasure.
They’ve stopped fretting about lumps and bumps the way they once did. They know a sizzling sex life is much more about personality than body image.
Women in this age group are pretty much past the most difficult days of motherhood, so they’re getting better sleep — the fatigue from childcare is terrible for killing sex drive.
But confidence is also the key to better sex, and studies show it comes with age — women have the guts to spice things up.
They feel in control of their love life — one study found that the older a woman gets, the more likely she will initiate sex.
At 44, they are savvy about the clothes that suit their body shapes, so dressing for “sexcess” comes more easily.
Store blimey
What’s it like putting an unexpected eyeful in the bagging area? Ex-Page Three girl SABINE JEMEL-JANOVA reveals what happened when she shopped dressed like Gwyneth.
SCENE STEALER: “Everyone looked like they had seen a ghost. All of a sudden there were shop workers circling me. I’m in a bikini, not on the rob.”
CHECK HER OUT: “At the self-service till, a shop worker charged over and booted me out. I was only trying to buy a bottle of water while in a bikini.”