Kara Tointon has opened up about growing older, insisting she is ’embracing age’ and seeing it as attractive rather than ‘terrifying’.
The actress, 40, said becoming a mother means she has less time to maintain her youthful appearance, but said it was “very grounding” because “you have one focus.”
The former EastEnders star is the mother of two boys, Frey, five, and Helly, three, with her ex-fiance Marius Jensen.
Speak with The sun on Sunday, she said: ‘I don’t think I look young, I’m getting older like the rest of us. Motherhood hits you like a blow, so a beauty regimen is out of the question at the moment.
‘But it was such a great dose of reality. It’s very grounding, motherhood, I can tell you that. Everything goes out the window and you just have one focus.”
Kara Tointon has opened up about growing older and insists she ’embraces age’ and sees it as attractive rather than ‘terrifying’ (pictured last month)
The actress, 40, said becoming a mother means she has less time to maintain her youthful looks, but said it was ‘very grounding’ because ‘you only have one focus’ (pictured with her sons)
The former EastEnders star is mother to two boys, Frey, five, and Helly, three, with her ex-fiance Marius Jensen
Kara added that another benefit of growing older was that she got to play more “encouraging” roles, moving from playing children and teenagers to mothers, who she can relate to more.
She explained, “I’ve been doing this since I was very young. You’re the kid, then you’re the big teenager, and then you get to the stage where you’re neither here nor there. It’s wonderful when you reach the age where there is more.
‘There’s more material, it’s really fun. We are also entering a period where the scope is so great, but I enjoy all those mother roles that are coming in. Because I am a mother myself, I can really relate to it.’
The former Strictly Come Dancing champion also said she thinks things are better for women now, and there is less pressure to look young while they themselves ‘enjoy’ getting older.
She said: ‘We are in such changing times – it’s a good time for women in general. It’s like age is becoming less and less of a thing. I really enjoy getting older and am at a stage in my life where I feel good about myself.
“I embrace the age and I’m excited about it. I think age is attractive. It’s very personal. Some people are terrified of it, but I’m lucky I’m not scared of it.’
Kara returns to television screens this month, having worked mainly in theater in recent years, and has scored her first leading role in Too Good To Be True.
She plays a single mother named Rachel, who works as a cleaner to support her 11-year-old son Liam.
Kara added that another benefit of growing older has been giving her more “stimulating” roles to play, moving from children and teenagers playing to mothers, who she can relate to more (pictured in October)
The former Strictly Come Dancing champion also said she thinks things are better for women now and there is less pressure to look young, while she herself is ‘enjoying’ getting older (pictured in 2022)
She soon meets wealthy businessman Elliot, played by Allen Leech, who offers her more money to clean exclusively for him, before a dark twist reveals that all is not as it seems.
Speaking to the Ny Breaking’s Weekend magazine last month, Kara explained that she had chosen theater for the past eight years as she preferred the roles, but dipped her toe back into film because she loved the character of Rachel loved.
She said: ‘I used to prefer theatre, because I felt the roles I got were grittier.
‘But with Too Good To Be True I could really sympathize with Rachel and immerse myself in it.’
However, two weeks before filming of the four-part Channel 5 series wrapped, Kara injured herself during a fight scene.
She explained: ‘I tore my anterior cruciate ligament. It was after a morning of running around. All I did was put my leg on the ground and my knee just gave out.”
She was forced to spend the remainder of filming with her leg in a cast, and camera angles had to be adjusted to conceal it, with a body double being used for some scenes.
She admitted, “It took a few months before I could actually move the leg again.”
Kara returns to TV screens this month, having worked mainly in theater in recent years, and has scored her first leading role in Too Good To Be True
She plays a single mother named Rachel (pictured), who works as a cleaner to support her 11-year-old son Liam, before getting caught in a controlling situation with her new boss.
It comes after Kara split from her ex-fiance Marius in 2022, with him later spotted sharing a kiss with an unidentified woman outside a club in London.
Their divorce was reported in October 2022, but sources said the couple secretly split 10 months earlier.
A source said The sun at the time: “Kara and Marius quietly broke up about ten months ago. There was no wrongdoing on either side, and they both still care about each other.
‘But they came to the conclusion that there was no future for them as a couple. They remain friends and are both very committed to co-parenting their two children.”
Kara and Marius went public with their relationship in 2017 after meeting the year before, and were planning to tie the knot in 2020 before the pandemic put a stop to their plans.
Too Good To Be True airs on Wednesday, February 14 at 9:00 PM and continues on Thursday, February 15 at 9:00 PM. Stream the full series on My5.
It comes after Kara split from her ex-fiance Marius in 2022, with him later spotted sharing a kiss with an unidentified woman outside a club in London (pictured together in 2019)
