Ageing is not for sissies, agrees Bo Derek
THERE was a time when her swimsuit-clad image would have graced the bedroom walls of many teenage boys.
But more than 30 years since Bo Derek’s role in 10 turned her into a pin-up, she has revealed she struggles with growing older. The 58-year-old, whose real name is Mary Cathleen Collins, yesterday said she agrees with the actress Bette Davis, that ageing is ‘not for sissies’.
While she has been praised for never having had a facelift, she said she is often asked why she hasn’t had work done.
Opening up about the ageing process, Ms Derek, who has appeared on magazine covers including Playboy, said: ‘I realise how artificial it is, beauty. I realise that it doesn’t last forever, that’s for damn sure. But when you’re so well-known for how you look, is ageing hard? Ageing is really hard. And it’s tough. Bette Davis was right; it’s not for sissies, it really isn’t.
‘And there is a certain expectation. I get credit on one hand for not having had a facelift, and then on the other hand it’s, “Oh my God, why doesn’t she do something?” So you’re just torn. I just have to keep busy, have other interests, and try not to think about it.’
Ms Derek’s comments echo Ms Davis, who once said: ‘Old age ain’t no place for sissies.’ However while that might cause some women to consider cosmetic surgery, Ms Derek has always insisted she hasn’t had work done.
She made her name as an international star when she starred alongside Dudley Moore in the 1979 film 10. Her slow-motion jog along a beach, wearing a nude-coloured swimsuit and her hair in braids, earned her a Golden Globe nomination, as well as pin-up status.
But the actress, who has appeared in Woman Of Desire and Tarzan, The Ape Man, said she was never taken in by the adoration. She is in a long-term relationship with Sex And The City star John Corbett, 54, and was previously married to photographer and director John Derek until his death.
She told CBS News: ‘I don’t need a lot. I never needed the adoration or the praise. I loved the work, and still do.’