Botox twice a year and 10,000 steps a day: How I look and feel good at 57

Amanda Cronin: ‘When I was younger, I thought that 57 was utterly ancient. Now I’m here, I see that there is plenty more life to be had’ - Rii Schroer

Amanda Caroline Cronin is a skincare founder, former model and television personality. Here she talks about how she tackles the inevitability of ageing. At 57, she has one daughter, aged 29, and two stepchildren.

People assume I must lie awake at night, terrified of ageing because I’m a woman, over 50, and have spent decades of my life being photographed, judged and approved for public consumption. But actually, I’m not frightened, I don’t feel insecure and I think I look good. And that, frankly, is enough.

Do other people think I look my age, or too done, or not done enough? Possibly. But I no longer care. So in the spirit of full disclosure, here is why I refuse to give in to ageing.

Starting life as a model

Growing up in Hampshire, I hated being thin, and was a tall, 5ft 10in teenager with just a 32AA bust and no hips. I used to wear three pairs of socks under my school tights to give the illusion of calves – though one day, those same matchstick limbs would earn me the title of “the longest legs in Belgravia”.

The young Amanda didn’t like being tall and wore three pairs of socks under her tights to give the illusion of calves

I started modelling at the age of 17. Unfortunately, it’s a profession of fault-finding. By 21, I’d been accused of having a wrinkle (a single wrinkle!), and the Japanese clients were the harshest – they used tape measures on our thighs. And there was the nose bump. I quite liked it, but my agency said photographers were complaining that they’d have to retouch it, which took up time and money. Knowing that they had to do that really hurt.

Amanda, pictured age 18, says modelling is ‘a profession of fault-finding’

Why I had surgery in my 20s

It sounds drastic but in my early 20s, I had my nose straightened to avoid the dreaded Photoshopping. One operation became three – even perfection is trial and error, it seems. I had always wanted to get my eyelids done, but somehow got persuaded by the surgeon to have a “brow lift” to elevate my eyebrows and forehead. Although it was ridiculous to think I was trying to look more youthful in my 20s, I also had my teeth done.

By then, I was already established in the fashion world, mainly modelling swimwear and hosiery and working on advertising campaigns for brands such as Marks & Spencer, Samsung and Aston Martin. I had breast implants when I was 22, taking my AA up to a C cup, which suited my athletic frame. Back then, round implants were the only option. But implants, don’t forget, are rather like iPhones: they need upgrading (though at least with boobs they should last a decade). In 30 years, I’ve had two boob jobs.

Amanda had her first set of breast implants in her early 20s, as well as a brow lift and surgery to straighten her nose

A few years before I had retired from modelling at 33, I had a malignant melanoma. The surgeon told me that if I’d waited six more months, the chances were I would have died within one year. I’d had my daughter by this time and was a working, single mother living next to Harrods. Surviving skin cancer taught me that taking care of my skin, and protecting it from the sun, was far more than just vanity. It might surprise you to know that I don’t worship SPF like many now do in the beauty industry. While I certainly believe in sun protection – using hats and seeking shade and using sunblock – I don’t believe in smothering the body’s largest organ in chemicals without question.

How I’ve stayed slim

For most of my life, I was naturally a US double zero (a size 4 in the UK), which sounds tiny but I won’t lie: it looked good. But when I hit my early 50s, the weight started sliding on. A size 6 became an 8, which then became a 10. Ultimately, it was my daughter who raised her eyebrows at my more rounded tummy and spurred me to take action.

Amanda with her daughter, Sofia, in 1999

I tried heavy weight training around then, which was fabulous for bone density, but less fabulous for my appetite. I ate more broccoli, more protein, more everything… and grew out of all my clothes. Strong is sexy, they say, but I’m sorry, I prefer being slim. Six years ago, a friend recommended Saxenda, an early version of Mounjaro, or “skinny pens”, as we called them. That did the trick. I’m not someone who has to rely on weight loss jabs for evermore, but I still microdose with them. After the summer, I lost about 8kg in six weeks, and I’ll go back on to them a bit before Christmas so I feel at my best.

For exercise I do reformer Pilates but mostly I walk – at least 10,000 steps a day. I pull my hair back in a scrunchie, head out make-up-free, put some good trainers on and walk all around Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace and the green parks. I listen to Christian podcasts, mainly because finding faith after my divorce has been the best thing.

Amanda practises reformer Pilates and walks at least 10,000 steps a day - David M. Benett

Yes, I take HRT

I’m seven years post-menopause now; I went into it quickly at 50 and it was over by 51. Now, I use oestrogen spray and progesterone tablets, though it seems to make no difference to my oestrogen levels in blood tests. I’m not sure whether it’s being absorbed fully; however, I would say that my hair – this is all my own – is better now at 57 than it was at 27.

In Monaco and Switzerland, where I lived with my entrepreneur ex-husband, Mark Daeche, for a decade, women don’t even say the word “menopause”. In London, we’re much further ahead than that, thank goodness.

Amanda is now seven years post-menopause and uses oestrogen spray and progesterone tablets - Rii Schroer

Divorce… and sobriety

My divorce in 2019 was devastating. We’d met in 2006 and married in 2013, and until 2018, we were so happy as a blended family of five with my own daughter, Sofia, 29, from a previous relationship in my 20s, and Mark’s two children and two dogs. Our elderly parents were all very close, too.

In 2018, Mark had work stress and seemed to check out of the marriage completely. We also spent too much time apart, with me focusing on my daughter’s education in London, and him living in Monaco for tax reasons. He gave me no answers as to why he hadn’t been communicating and in turn I found myself shutting down. To help me function with anxiety and stress I fell into taking Xanax and mixing it with alcohol during evenings. To break up with your husband when you’ve just turned 50 is not easy. It wasn’t a happy time.

It was only when I caught Covid – badly, in 2020 – that I suddenly realised I needed to prioritise my health. I immediately stopped drinking alcohol and taking pills – and I never went back. Sobriety certainly benefits my looks and energy levels and I love it.

Amanda, pictured having a full baptism in 2023, feels more peaceful since finding her faith post-divorce

And finding my faith post-divorce has been life-changing. In 2023, I had a full baptism in water at Holy Trinity Brompton. I never needed therapy after my divorce; I get all the healing I need from my church. I am so much more peaceful now, I have better boundaries, and I don’t confuse what is “fun” with what’s actually a coping mechanism.

Dating in my 50s

I’ve never really been single in my adult life. I’ve no interest in one-night stands, but I love being in monogamous relationships. I’ve never really had to use dating apps and it feels wrong, but I’d love to meet someone and am open to romance. I dated Andrew Ridgeley from Wham! for a year in 2022, but I don’t want to talk about exes.

When I was younger, I thought that 57 was utterly ancient. But now I’m here, I see that there is plenty more life to be had, and I take far better care of myself now than I ever did in my 20s, when I’d have the odd cigarette with a drink, which I don’t do these days. I sleep better and invest in my looks.

My ageing rules

1. Botox: Twice a year

Still the gold standard. It softens lines created by muscle movement. I avoided Botox until my late 30s, and I advise others to do the same. Twice a year is subtle enough to retain natural expression, but do choose a reputable clinic as there are fake products around and a high-grade product is essential.

Pricing starts from £250.

2. Fillers: Be careful

Fillers have evolved, but so has my philosophy around them. Some years ago, I dissolved all my old filler after learning how it can migrate and retain water. Since then, I have used only the smallest, most strategically placed amounts: a touch along the jawline, a hint at the chin and around the temples. Enough to refine structure, never enough to announce itself. In good hands, filler should be invisible.

Doctor-led aesthetics start from £750 per unit; the type of treatment I have would cost around £2,500.

3. Facelifts: Don’t rule them out

I have yet to do it, though I am realistic: at some point, a lower-face and neck lift may be the most effective option. Until then, I rely on treatments that strengthen the scaffolding beneath the skin.

Amanda has not had a facelift so far, but doesn’t rule out the prospect - Rii Schroer

4. Skin treatments: Choose quality

Collagen-stimulating skincare, radiofrequency and high-intensity focused ultrasound (two to three sessions in a two-year period), which uses heat to remodel and tighten the skin. I also have PRP (recommended four times a year), which uses your own plasma and your own growth factors, effectively encouraging it to behave like it did a decade ago. Excellent for crepey texture and loss of density.

And I’ve recently had an upper blepharoplasty by Mr Naresh Joshi as my eyelids had been heavy and hooded and made make-up for The Real Housewives of London quite difficult. It’s difficult to say how much I spend per year as I own my own clinic, but at full price, it would be around £35,000-50,000 per year. It’s worth it.

5. Lip filler

The aim is never to inflate but to return what age quietly takes away. My lips have always been naturally full; I used to be booked for them when I was modelling. But over time, a touch of filler migrated and slightly distorted the shape. I have recently had my lips dissolved and the shape is surprisingly lovely so we will just be enhancing the Cupid’s bow and adding a little bit of volume. We’re working from old photographs to restore an authentic contour.

Amanda pictured age 23

6. Décolletage and hands

The décolletage and hands betray age faster than the face. I treat both with intense pulsed light – a technology that lifts stubborn pigmentation and remodels the skin’s surface, essentially correcting the mottled evidence of summers past. A short course once a year, and vigilant sun protection thereafter, keeps the results crisp.

7. LED masks

Clinic machines outperform most home masks by a vast margin; the light needs both strength and correct wavelengths to be therapeutic. This is science, not a spa. LED therapy is superb for inflammation and cellular repair, provided the device is professional grade. You can use LED every day so I try to use it as often as possible for cell renewal.

8. Night cream

Every evening, I commit to three steps: my cream clay foaming cleanser (Amanda Caroline Haute Rose Cleanser, £75); my plumping, hydrating, brightening serum (Amanda Caroline Haute Lift Serum, £150); followed by my rich, absorbent, protective, barrier-nourishing cream with botanical oils (Amanda Caroline Haute Lift Cream, £130). Hydration rules.

9. Sleep

Don’t forget that sleep is the body’s most powerful regeneration window; I’ve always been able to sleep well, and I try to lie in as much as I can – nine hours is perfect for me.

10. Grooming

I keep my nails impeccably neat – a bio-shellac pedicure, always.

11. Spray tans

No winter spray tans – I prefer to embrace the pale season; but in summer, I like a whisper of colour.

As told to Susanna Galton

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