The secrets to Catherine Zeta-Jones' youthful glow: Actress, 57, is avoiding 'over-treatment and restrictive diets' to age gracefully as she returns to screens in thriller series Kill Jackie

When Catherine Zeta-Jones first strutted onto the small screen in her jodhpurs, thick black hair tumbling around her shoulders in ITV’s The Darling Buds Of May, it was immediately clear a movie star had been born.

The Welsh actress possessed a rich, luminous beauty worthy of silver-screen legends such as Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner – a quality rarely seen on British television in the 1990s and even today.

Fast-forward 35 years and Zeta-Jones is back, starring as a female mob boss in Kill Jackie. And, perhaps most excitingly for fans, the Oscar-winning actress has returned to her roots, delivering her performance in her native Welsh lilt after decades of using her transatlantic accent for Hollywood roles.

In the trailer for the new crime drama, she wields a gun, swears like a trooper and tears along the highway on a moped. Yet one of the most striking things is not her action-hero antics but her timeless beauty.

At 57, Zeta-Jones is surely a poster girl for ageing gracefully in an industry where some stars can become almost unrecognisable after too many tweakments.

She has retained her signature look, including her stunning eyes and long, dark Celtic locks, despite the familiar advice that women over 40 should cut their hair short. 

At 57, Catherine Zeta-Jones is surely a poster girl for ageing gracefully in an industry where some stars can become almost unrecognisable after too many tweakments

The Welsh actress has always possessed a rich, luminous beauty worthy of silver-screen legends such as Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner - a quality rarely seen on British television in the 1990s and even today

And while she inevitably looks older than in her movie-star heyday, when she conquered Hollywood in The Mask Of Zorro before winning an Oscar for her high-kicking performance as Velma Kelly in Chicago, she remains instantly recognisable as the striking young Welsh actress who first captured the public’s imagination.

Even her Hollywood romance has proved unusually enduring. While so many showbusiness marriages buckle under the glare of publicity, Zeta-Jones has been married to legendary actor Michael Douglas for 26 years. They have two grown-up children, Carys, 23 and Dylan, 26.

Perhaps that settled home life, away from the cameras, has helped provide some contentment amid the fickle world of showbusiness, something that can shine from within.

So, as audiences prepare to admire her beauty once more, what exactly is behind Zeta-Jones’s remarkably consistent appearance?

Dr Maryam Zamani, oculoplastic surgeon and founder of MZ Skin, believes restraint may be key.

‘Catherine Zeta-Jones is a wonderful example of ageing gracefully. At 57 she looks absolutely fantastic, but importantly, she still looks like herself,’ she says.

‘My feeling is that she may use very light neuromodulators, enough to soften lines while retaining movement and expression. That is very different from having a completely frozen face.’

Dr Zamani stresses that she has no knowledge of Zeta-Jones’s private treatment history and says photographs can never establish exactly what someone has, or has not, had done.

The actress (pictured with husband Michael Douglas in 1999) has retained her signature look, including her flashing green eyes and long, dark Celtic locks, despite the familiar advice that women over 40 should cut their hair short

‘What I particularly like about Catherine is that, from what I can see, there is no obvious sense of over-treatment. I don’t see a face that has been excessively filled or surgically altered,’ she says. ‘Personally, I don’t see obvious signs of major facial surgery. The key is restraint.’

Long before Hollywood came calling, Zeta-Jones began her showbusiness career as a singer and dancer, landing a lead role in the West End musical 42nd Street at just 17.

Her extraordinary dance talent would later serve her well in Chicago, where her performance as Velma Kelly earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2003.

And the discipline of her dancing days appears to have stayed with her. Her willowy physique, energetic movement and polished red-carpet style suggest an actress who has remained active throughout her life, while making shrewd, age-appropriate fashion choices.

Dr Arti Singh, an advanced aesthetics expert, says lifestyle factors may also contribute to her appearance.

‘I’d say her timeless beauty is down to many factors, such as keeping hydrated, following an anti-inflammatory diet and staying active, as well as a considered and consistent skincare regime.’ over-treatment

Zeta-Jones herself has spoken about her approach to food. In a 2021 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, she revealed that she is a ‘three meals a day kind of girl’, rather than someone who survives on restrictive diets.

The actress' willowy physique, energetic movement and polished red-carpet style suggest an actress who has remained active throughout her life, while making shrewd, age-appropriate fashion choices

Her typical day included porridge with brown sugar, bananas and blueberries for breakfast, a blue-cheese and spinach salad for lunch, grilled cod and, later, steak with mushroom sauce.

Beauty expert Laura Kay, founder of Laura Kay London, says: ‘Catherine Zeta-Jones looks remarkable for her age.   

'She evidently takes a more invested approach to her health and beauty, and one of the key things she says is that she keeps her body inflammation-free inside and out, from no alcohol and balancing pH levels to exercise and general lifestyle factors.’

And perhaps that is the secret to Zeta-Jones’s enduring appeal.

When you tune into Kill Jackie, you are not simply watching a modern British showbusiness icon. You are watching a woman who, after more than three decades in the spotlight, appears remarkably loyal to her own idea of beauty.

Unbothered by every passing trend, fad or miracle diet, Catherine Zeta-Jones has remained unmistakably herself.

Perhaps being ageless is less about trying to look younger and more about knowing what suits you, then sticking with it, come what may.