Thandie Newton

I do a lot of jivamukti yoga; it keeps me supple, strong and focused.

I'll be 40 this year but honestly would not consider surgery; all my beauty icons are women with expressive faces. Isabelle Huppert ages so beautifully and gracefully, as have Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. I am struck by their expressive beauty.

Olay does a great tinted moisturiser that I add a little turmeric to - making it more yellow depending on my skin tone and the season. That's a great trick for all women who find that foundations are too ashy or too pink for their skins. And it's anti-inflammatory. It's my secret weapon.

I love being in my forties. Just getting there and realising that you haven't grown horns or boils on your bum, when all the time it had been this thing looming in the future, is such a relief.

I've been different things in different contexts, and I didn't really feel beautiful until I had my first child. I knew that I was considered 'People' magazine's Most Whatever, but all that stuff is just how we label different groups. And I've been very not beautiful in my life. There's no way I was beautiful growing up.

I love how close you are to current affairs and social issues here in England. Out in L.A., you have to make an effort to look outside that little microcosm. It's almost like it's a virtual reality to imagine a problem there.