Dame Shirley Bassey wowed fans with her youthful looks after being made a Companion of Honour at Windsor Castle yesterday.
She admitted that she was more nervous to accept the accolade than she’s been about singing for the Royal Family – and even forgot to curtsy to King Charles due to her nerves.
But at 87 years old, her ageless style shone through as she posed alongside her 69-year-old daughter Sharon, grandson Sebastian, and great-granddaughter Sofia.
Dame Bassey often says she also doesn’t feel her age and that in her mind she is ’29’.
Looking at the singer, one could even argue that she is ageing in reverse, so what are her tips and tricks for staying young?
She goes to the gym
The Diamonds Are Forever singer said follows a strict regime of going to the gym three times a week and twice at the least.
During lockdown in 2020, she described herself as a ‘gym fanatic’ and told the Mirror: ‘A trainer comes to my apartment in Monaco three times a week. I try to go to the gym three times but make it twice if I am lucky. I feel it when I don’t go.’
Dame Bassey also admitted to getting her steps in by walking around her pool twelve times a day, before ‘holding the last line of Goldfinger for 20 seconds’ whilst doing the washing up.
Five years prior, she went on Lorraine and said she has worked out ‘for years’ adding that she does yoga and Pilates as well as going to the gym.
But the vocalist said she feels youthful: ‘I think there’s a mistake on my passport, I’m sure I am younger. I feel 29.’
Boxing to relieve stress
Dame Bassey says she also ‘loves’ boxing and that the sport helps to relieve her stress and get out her ‘aggression,’ she previously told Hello magazine.
Throwing a punch in a boxing gym now and again can help improve your heart health, as it is a high intensity exercise, according to Heathline.
It can also aid weight loss, improve the strength of your whole body and also improve your balance as it involves coordinated footwork and working on your reaction movements.
It can also help release stress and improve your mood, whilst also lowering your blood pressure, according to the outlet.
Diet
The iconic singer says that she does not restrict herself with her diet, but simply just watches what she eats and fuels her body with healthy meals.
Dame Bassey told the outlet that she treats herself at the weekend by eating all of her favourite foods, which include caviar ‘with lots of cream’ and ice cream.
She also told the Sunday Post that she watches her drink intake, only confining herself to water and champagne.
‘You don’t get older. You just get better,’ she added.
She told the Daily Express that her line of work can mean it is easy to ‘forget to take care of yourself and ‘snack a lot’.
But she credits where she grew up as pushing her to cook her own meals and engaging her in health habits.
‘I don’t overdo the eating either. Remember I was brought up in lovely Tiger Bay [Cardiff], where home cooking and simple diets were the general rule,’ she said.
‘I really enjoy cooking and while I venture into the exotic now and then, I still like basic stuff.’
But friends of Shirley Bassey should not expect an invite around her home anytime soon as the idea of hosting a big dinner party scares her.
Facials and massages
The Moonraker singer also admits that she invests in her body by having a lot of facials and body massages.
Whilst some may only be able to afford massages as a treat, she said to the Mirror that it was ‘worth all the money’ and that taking the time to sit back and relax whilst someone relieves the stress away is ‘working’ for her.
Massages can help alleviate pain, discomfort, muscle spasm, and stress, according to the NHS.
It states: ‘Massage therapy improves functioning of the circulatory, lymphatic, muscular, skeletal, and nervous systems and may improve the rate at which the body recovers from injury and illness.’