Twiggy: turning 60 and looking great!

Twiggy looks back on her compelling journey from shy school girl to enduring fashion icon and tells Good Housekeeping's celebrity editor Becky Howard how, along the way, she has learned what really matters to her - and why she's happier now than ever

It seems impossible, but the original (and the best) supermodel of them all, Twiggy, celebrates her 60^th birthday this month.  And that ‘ordinary girl who got lucky' from Neasden, north London, is living proof that 60 is the new 40. The National Portrait Gallery is commemorating her landmark birthday with a special photographic exhibition and she has even had a rose named after her by Roses UK to mark her special day; she continues to dominate television and billboards as the face of Marks & Spencer; she loves designing her own clothing range for Littlewoods Direct and her successful line of bed linen.

 

And she has just won another exciting role, as the new face of Olay Definity creams for the 50-plus market. ‘I've been shouting out for years that doing anti-ageing creams on 18-year-old models is ridiculous, so I was very pleased to be asked to be the new face of this fabulous range,' she says.

 

We meet at her stunning west London flat, lovingly filled with colourful rugs and cushions, sculptures and art. There are treasured family snaps everywhere - often co-starring famous faces like Kate Moss and Paul McCartney. It's 43 years since she was first plucked from obscurity as Lesley Hornby to become the ‘face of 66' and dubbed Twiggy - her elfin crop and Bambi eyes setting the fashion agenda across the globe. Today, she still manages to radiate a casual beauty and style, wearing a charcoal All Saints dress over a navy top and tights, matched with a beloved pair of Zara cowboy boots and minimal makeup (apart from around those famous Twiggy eyes, which are softly emphasised). She plays with her hair and laughs easily as we chat about her life and times.

 

You're turning 60 this September - how does that make you feel?

It sounds hysterical to me- it just makes me laugh! Because even as you get older you still feel the same; when I was 30, 40, I still felt 16 inside. There's an inner you that stays the same.

 

You're at the top of your game once more. Did you ever think you'd be so successful at this time in your life?

No - it's weird, isn't it? I never dreamed this modelling thing would happen again. Who would? Modelling is normally a young person's game. But I'm very proud to be a part of the M & S campaign and I think it's right to get someone of my age modelling clothes, as well as young models. There is a large percentage of over 40s who are fashion led.

 

How did it come about?

They approached me, and although I love M&S, I wanted to find out who I'd be working with before I agreed to do it. I'm fussy! Funnily enough, I found out later that the marketing head, Steve Sharp, had the idea of me modelling for them when he saw me in a gastro pub near my Suffolk house. I was there in my old jeans, a big anorak, hair in pigtails with no make-up on because I'd just been for a walk on the beach with my husband Leigh (Lawson). He must have been blind! (Laughs)

 

You look fantastic, but has the ageing process ever worried you?

Look - if someone came to me and said they could wave a magic wand to be any age, I'd probably say 35. But that's not going to happen so getting upset about ageing is pointless. I'm fine with what I look like; I exercise, I eat well, but I'm not fanatical because you've got to have a life! I'm lucky because I've got a lovely husband, great kids and a career, and that's what I think about. I do have days when I don't feel as good as others, but I don't see the point in getting anxious about getting older, it happens to all of us! And I love birthdays. I don't plan things, so I don't know what I'm doing for my 60^th yet, but it will probably be a small party.

 

What do you think when you look back to when you first became famous as a teenager?

I've had such a blessed life in many ways because you couldn't have orchestrated what happened to me in a million years! It took me from one life into another world that I probably never would have experienced otherwise. I was really shy and insecure and so young. I didn't feel that young when it was all happening, but when my daughter Carly reached 16, the same age I was when I became famous, I remember looking at her and thinking "Oh my God!". Especially considering I came from a suburb of north London and had never even been abroad. They were much more innocent times and I was really unsophisticated.

 

Being shy, how did you cope with the global fame?

I think in a way it helped me that I was so young and green. It was all incredibly exciting - I was travelling the world, working with incredible photographers and having a wonderful time.

 

You've gone on to pursue a range of different careers, singing, acting, presenting and designing. Which have you enjoyed the most?

I've loved doing them all. But probably the thing I've been proudest of professionally is starring in My One and Only on Broadway, which started in 1983. I'd only done one panto by then, and the idea of going out on stage and singing and dancing every night was scary to me. When Tommy Tune (director, actor and choreographer who I'd worked with in my first film The Boyfriend) invited me to star with him in a big musical, I remember saying: "You're mad! I can't do that!" He replied: "There's no such word as can't - pack your bags and get out here!" We worked so hard, I was performing eight shows a week for 18 months. But it was wonderful. The thing I thought I couldn't do ended up being a joy. There's nothing like being in a hit show on Broadway, playing to packed houses.

 

By then, you'd had your daughter Carly, who's now 30. How did motherhood change your life?

One hundred percent! The love you have for your children is scary and you don't really understand it until you experience it. It was such a special time when she was younger. I did little bits and pieces of work until she went to school, but really I just wanted to spend as much time with her as possible because you don't get it back.

 

What is your relationship with Carly like now?

We're very close. She's doing really well and is a print designer at Stella McCartney. The only thing is, you never stop worrying about your children. I can always tell on the phone if she's had an off day, and if she's unhappy, then I am too. Leigh and I often say that Jason (her stepson) and Carly are nice human beings, and if helping them turn out like that is all we've ever done in our lives, that's the best.

 

Carly's dad, your first husband Michael Witney, died suddenly in 1983. How did you cope with that?

It was terribly sad, although much more so for Carly than me. I was so intent on making sure she was all right, so you do become quite strong, I think. It's like when you read these stories about mothers who can actually move a car if it's on top of their child. You just get this inner strength to deal with it.

 

You've been with actor Leigh Lawson now for 25 years. How did you two meet?

Well, we met first briefly in the 1970s when we were with our previous partners, but I became more aware of him in the 1980s when he had a huge TV series called Travelling Man. I'd watched it and thought he was absolutely gorgeous! When we re-met at a mutual friend's do in London soon after that, in 1985, we said hello and got on really well. I knew he was on his own by then, and so was I.

 

Did you think you'd ever find love again?

I was only 35 and I did want a new relationship, but I wasn't actively looking for it. The attraction between us was instant but we were very careful - you have to be if you've been bruised in the past. We took things very gently and slowly because we had kids and they're incredibly important to us. Even if you've fallen in love with each other, your kids might not like each other! Luckily, Carly and Jason got on really well and still do. We had a wonderful family holiday all together last year and hired a beautiful villa in Ibiza. I've never laughed so much in my life!

 

For you, what's the best thing about being in a long-term relationship?

Leigh's not only my husband, he's my best friend, as well as my business partner. My number one concern is our life and our family, it always has been.

 

What have you learned about yourself over the years?

I'm much less worried about what people think, and always stay true to my inner feelings. When I was in my teens and 20s I would always do everything I thought I had to do and it has taken me quite a long time to develop confidence. But now, if things don't feel right to me, I don't do them. Now, I'm as stubborn as a mule!

 

Do you feel that you're at a peak time in your life now?

Yeah, but all the other times have been pretty good, too. I've had sad times, obviously, but that's part of life. I never stop and think about life like that, really - you just get up in the morning and get on with things. But I'm very happy and content.

 

---

 

 

More from Twiggy

 

Twiggy reveals the beauty secrets that help her look good through the decades

Follow Twiggy's anti-ageing makeup routine - for makeup to make you look younger