Can Jen really be turning 50?
A quarter of a century since she burst on to our screens, Jennifer Aniston has barely aged a day. We look at the 10 qualities that make many of us still dream of having her as our best Friend...
1 EFFORTLESSLY STYLISH
Back in the ’90s, Jen’s Friends character, Rachel Green, was a hairstyle icon. The shoulder-length, layered ’do became an international phenomenon – with women everywhere asking hairdressers for “The Rachel”. In fact, the must-have hairstyle even landed Jen a contract with L’oréal. But it’s not just her trademark locks that people want to emulate. Her status as a fashion icon has transcended the decades, with the actress revealing the secret to her effortless style is comfort and simplicity. She said, “I pretty much have my uniform. A boyfriend jean, a wedge, a tank top… Even on the red carpet, I have to just be comfortable.”
2 REFRESHINGLY HONEST
Jen may be turning 50 on 11 February, but she has a body that women half her age would envy. While a toned, age-defying physique is often the norm in Hollywood, Jen is refreshingly honest about what it takes to maintain her size 8 figure. She’s revealed she works out for an hour a day and will even carry weights around the house to tone up her arms. But she admits it’s not easy staying in shape, saying, “I work out a lot, but I never want to be a spokesperson for weight loss. Being thin is hard work!”
3 FOREVER LOYAL
Jen’s A-list pals include Reese Witherspoon, Ellen Degeneres and Chelsea Handler. But her most famous and enduring friendship is with Courteney Cox, who’s been her BFF since they first met on the set of Friends. Jen is godmother to Courteney’s 14-yearold daughter Coco, while Courteney acted as Jen’s maid of honour at her wedding to Justin Theroux. Speaking about how Jen helped her through her divorce from ex-husband David Arquette, Courteney said, “We just have fun, we laugh, we’re inseparable… Jennifer has been amazing for sure”.
4 ANIMAL LOVER
The actress is notoriously obsessed with dogs and considered her terrier Norman her “baby boy”. She even got a tattoo of his name on her foot when he passed away in 2011. Speaking of the bond between people and dogs, Jen said, “It is so nice to open your door and have someone immediately run to you and kiss you and jump on
you. They can’t believe you are actually back home. They get so excited.”
5 STRONG
Women everywhere felt for Jen when she filed for divorce from Brad Pitt in 2005, amid reports he was romantically involved with Angelina Jolie. Fans rallied round and “Team Aniston” T-shirts became a craze – but Jen has remained tightlipped on their split, even when Brad’s subsequent marriage to Angelina fell apart in 2016. And when Jen’s divorce from her husband of two years, actor Justin Theroux, was announced last year, she revealed she hated being painted as a victim, saying, “The misconceptions are ‘Jen can’t keep a man’… Or that I’m sad and heartbroken. First, with all due respect, I’m not heartbroken. And second, those are reckless assumptions.”
6 A FEMINIST
Jen has had an incredible career, but has spoken about her frustration at being defined by her failed marriages and the fact she hasn’t had children. She hit back at those who criticised her, saying, “We live in a society that messages women: By this age, you should be married; by this age, you should have children... That’s a fairy tale. What quantifies happiness in someone’s life isn’t the ideal that was created in the ’50s. It’s not like you hear that narrative about any men.”
7 FUNNY
As well as playing quick-witted Rachel, Jen went on to star in a number of rom-coms. And it seems she is just as entertaining behind the scenes as she is in front of the camera. At her 2015 wedding to Justin Theroux, she organised a Muppet-themed wedding cake – with puppet replicas of the bride and groom! Speaking about her in 2016, Justin said, “It’s a laugh-a-minute. When we get on a run, it’s pretty fun. There’s been a couple of times when she has brought me to my knees laughing...”
8 FORGIVING
Jen endured a strained relationship with her late mother Nancy Dow, saying in an interview last year that she “did not come out the model child [Nancy] hoped for.” The pair were estranged after her mum did a revealing interview in 1996 and then released a tell-all memoir in 1999. But they made amends in 2005, with Jen later saying the feud had taught her to let go of negativity in her life. She said, “No matter how small or ugly, there is always something to be learned, if only to say, ‘I forgive,’ though, of course, you still have your moments of not forgetting.”
9 GENEROUS
Throughout her career, the actress has been heavily involved in charity work. She’s donated £1.3m to the victims of natural disasters around the world, with £383,000 of that going to victims of the Haiti earthquake in 2010. She’s also worked with children’s charities, as well as campaigning to stop the slaughter of dolphins. Speaking about her charitable work, she said, “Charity is a way of being able to be in a position to do something for people who are less able. It’s something that makes my heart smile.”
10 MODEST
While she’s a Hollywood star, Jen is also remarkably humble. As the central couple of Friends, David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston made more money than the others – but they both took a pay cut so that everything was equal. Jen’s close pal, comedian Chelsea Handler, said of her, “Jennifer is one of the most down-to-earth, low-key people I know. She’s just a regular girl.”