On the hunt for Helen: 'WHY I ESCAPED HOLLYWOOD'

After all these years, we're still mad about the free-spirited star

As Helen Hunt approaches her 60th birthday, there's one thing her fans can bet on - she won't be signing up to a gym in a desperate bid to find the fountain of youth.

"I don't go to the gym, ever. I don't diet, ever," shares the Twister star. "I had my run in the '80s about being really worried about how I looked. Everybody was more fit - or more thin – and I maxed out on worrying about it.

"When I gave up worrying about it, my brain and body got better. I was taking these exercise classes called 'abs, thighs and buns', and I was like, 'I'm going to be dead one day - do I really want to give up an hour in this class?""

It's been more than 30 years since Helen was cast in the hit sitcom Mad About You and became a Hollywood A-lister.

Despite her seemingly overnight success, she’d been working steadily as an actress since the tender age of nine. Her dad, Gordon, was an acclaimed director of cartoons and live-action TV, and through his contacts, a young Helen won roles in TV shows including The Swiss Family Robinson and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.