Hollyoaks star Glynis Barber has shared her beauty secrets including the ‘magic pill’ that keeps her looking youthful aged 68.
With her radiant skin, bright blue eyes, and honey blonde hair, it’s hard to believe the soap icon is almost 70. The actress credits a healthy diet, YouTube yoga classes, and guided meditations for her vibrant looks, which haven’t changed much since her rise to fame in Dempsey And Makepeace in 1985.
She’s still filming action scenes for TV currently, she’s playing gangland queen Norma Crow in Hollyoaks. “Norma’s my first gangster,” Glynis told the Mirror, “but I do get quite feisty characters! It came out of the blue, but it was such a lovely offer as they wanted me to play this real badass.”
READ MORE: Want more showbiz? Daily Star has just the thing for you!
READ MORE: Want more TV? Daily Star has just the thing for you!
Glynis, who has also starred in Emmerdale as detective DCI Grace Barraclough and in EastEnders as matriarch Glenda Mitchell, joined the cast of Hollyoaks in 2022. “Norma’s a bit more mellow now but when she first came in, she was such a terror,” she says. “Men would quake in their boots. It was such fun coming in as a mature woman and terrifying everybody!”
(Image: Lime Pictures)
She’s delighted to still be landing strong, exciting roles instead of playing a greying granny. But acting isn’t all she does. For the past ten years, she’s also been developing her wellness brand and website, Ageless by Glynis Barber.
Fans have been pestering her about her skincare and fitness routine, leading her to create Ageless by Glynis Barber where she shares decades of beauty knowledge, well ahead of celebs like Gwyneth Paltrow urging fans to try unconventional things like steaming their vaginas or allowing bees to sting them. “Health and wellbeing have been a hobby of mine since my late twenties,” Glynis admits.
(Image: Neil Sherwood)
“Everyone’s doing it now but when I started, people thought I was weird. When I started eating organically, people laughed at me.” Glynis has garnered plenty of wisdom through the year yet, exercise tops her list of recommendations. “People are always looking for a magic pill,” she remarks, “I’ve always said, ‘There is one, and it’s called exercise.'”
Glynis used to frequent the gym four times weekly before the pandemic. Now, she uses online videos for home yoga and weights. “Sitting is the new smoking,” she warns, “Even with morning exercise, sitting all day is dreadful.” She suggests getting off your chair often, even if only for a tea break.
(Image: BBC/Jack Barnes)
Actress Glynis has also opened up about her struggles with anxiety. “I began to experience anxiety in 2016,” she shares. “There were a lot of changes in my personal life and a lot of things were happening outside my control, and that triggered it. I think I had bouts earlier but I didn’t recognise it for what it was. Anxiety is a very difficult thing to deal with. My heart goes out to anybody who suffers with it because I know how it feels. I don’t have anxiety at the moment but you never know when something will trigger it.”
She admits that she may have had bouts of anxiety earlier but didn’t recognise it for what it was. “There were a lot of changes in my personal life and a lot of things were happening outside my control, and that triggered it. I think I had bouts earlier but I didn’t recognise it for what it was. Anxiety is a very difficult thing to deal with. My heart goes out to anybody who suffers with it because I know how it feels. I don’t have anxiety at the moment but you never know when something will trigger it.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Currently, Glynis is in a calm and happy place, but she still takes her mental health seriously. “It’s incredibly important,” she says. “In recent years, there’s been an explosion of anxiety, panic attacks and stress. At the very least, I think most people are stressed. I guard my mental health.”
To maintain her mental health, Glynis exercises, eats healthily, and practices a daily breathing technique. She’s even posted a video guide on her website for free, to help others. “I started practising it daily, sometimes multiple times a day if I was really stressed,” she reveals. “If you do it before bed, it calms down your nervous system and almost works like a sleeping pill.”
Join the Daily Star Soaps WhatsApp for all the latest spoilers and exclusives
Meditation also helps her, and she uses apps to help clear her mind. “I used to meditate on my own but now I use meditation apps. They’ve made it so easy,” she says. Glynis is still happily married to her Dempsey And Makepeace co-star Michael Brandon, who she fell head over heels for on set and tied the knot with in 1989. They have a son together and are eagerly awaiting a family Christmas. “I’ll be at home with my husband, my son Alexander and my little dog Gigi,” shares Glynis, who adores the magic of Christmas morning the most.
She loves waking up and gathering around the tree with mugs of tea and coffee, taking turns to unwrap presents. Then they enjoy a scrumptious breakfast like pancakes with berries, nuts and maple syrup, followed by a dog walk while the turkey roasts in the oven. While Glynis will be handling the cooking, Michael and Alexander will be left with the washing up! On Dempsey And Makepeace, Glynis and Michael’s chemistry won them massive ratings. After 34 years of wedded bliss, the couple are still very much in love and believe their shared sense of humour has kept their marriage strong.
Like what you see? Then fill your boots…
There’s MUCH more where that came from! Want all the jaw-dropping stories from the world of showbiz and up to the minute news from TV and soaps?
Well, we’ve got you covered with our showbiz, TV and soaps newsletters – they’ll drop straight into your inbox and you can unsubscribe whenever you like.
We’ll bring you the inside track from telly expert Ed Gleave and soap specialist Sasha Morris. Oh, and your daily fix of Piers, Katie Price, Demi Rose and all your other Daily Star favs.
You can sign up here – you won’t regret it…
“Michael and I have always had our disagreements,” admits Glynis. “But we share a strong sense of humour. He’s very funny. We both love to laugh and see the funny side of things. The other thing is that neither of us are quitters.” With their son Alexander now in his thirties, is Glynis ready to become a grandmother? “I’d love it if it happened,” she reveals. “I can’t think of anything better.”
But she’s not giving up on looking fab. She says, “If I became a wrinkled old granny, I’d probably get a lot of work,” and adds, “There are all those parts for elderly women. But I’m just me. I have a vested interest in staying healthy and well and, as a woman, I want to look good!”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here
* This article was crafted with the help of an AI tool, which speeds up Daily Star’s editorial research. An editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to starletters@dailystar.co.uk
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
