IN THE RUN-UP TO TURNING 60 YASMIN LE BON SHARES WHY SHE'S FEELING AND LOOKING BETTER THAN EVER

'On the one hand, I'm amazed I've made it this far. On the other - what on earth have I been doing?"

- ROSALIND POWELL

Yasmin Le Bon appears to have it all. She has seamlessly combined a successful career with a happy, high-profile, 39-year marriage while providing a well-balanced family life for her three daughters and several pets.

Not only that, but she’ll be celebrating her 60th birthday in October without, apparently, having aged.

For Yasmin, getting older is a state of mind. “You have to make an effort to be part of the wider world, to be open in your heart and mind to new ideas,” she says.

“A great friend of mine was the amazing artist Albert Irvin, who, when he passed away in his mid-90s, was still the ‘youngest’ person I knew. He taught me to look at life with fresh eyes.”

That’s not to say that the milestone event won’t have an impact. “It’s quite a shock. On the one hand, I’m amazed that I’ve made it this far. On the other hand – what on earth have I been doing? Get a move on, girl! Now is the time to say yes.”

The British model has hardly been sitting on her heels. Scouted aged 17 by an agent in Oxford, where she grew up, Yasmin left for London, signed up to Models 1 at 19 – when she also first went to Milan – and has been busy ever since.

HOUSEHOLD NAME

At the height of her career in the 1980s and 1990s, she was one of the world’s best-paid models, frequently gracing the covers of highend glossies such as Vogue and Elle.

By the time of the supermodel era, with the arrival of Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell, Yasmin was already established.