1980s soap star Linda Evans, 79, says accept yourself for who you are

With a career spanning more than six decades, Linda Evans, 79, is best-known for her role as Krystle Carrington in 1980s soap Dynasty. Twice divorced, she lives in Rainier, in the U.S. state of Washington.

Like most people, I thought loving yourself meant going to a spa or buying yourself something to feel better. It’s taken me a long time to realise that it really comes from within. 

In 2012, I went to Africa with some friends and we had the opportunity of staying with a Maasai tribe. 

During the day we’d walk with these warriors, who had little in the way of possessions and who were at one with nature, while at night we’d gaze up at the stars. I was filled with an incredible sense of peace and joy — a feeling that it doesn’t take a lot of material things in order to be happy. When I returned home, I was on an incredible high. 

Before the trip, I had committed to taking part in a fashion show for the American Heart Association in New York. But on my return, when I tried on the dress I was modelling, I was horrified. I’d obviously put on weight. 

How could I have felt so much joy on returning from Africa, only to feel utterly miserable days later? What had changed was my attitude. My judgment of what I looked like was killing my joy of having been a part of this wonderful show. 

Looking back now, I love myself for that moment as it taught me that we have to love ourselves in all our forms. 

Linda is known for her role as Krystle Carrington in Dynasty (right). She know lives a quiet life in Washington State

When I was focusing on my career and played the role of Krystle in Dynasty, I had everything anyone could hope for, yet still I felt there was something missing. Fame and success are great, but you can’t hold on to these things forever and trying to doesn’t lead to happiness. 

Now I live on 70 acres in Washington State, where I have a quiet life. I only work on special projects that fill my heart with joy. That’s why, in 2019, after falling in love with a script written by the filmmaker Todd Stephens, I accepted a role in his film Swan Song. It tells the story of an older man dying with sadness about his life, but who is reborn after revisiting his past. 

It’s one of the lovely things about getting older. Truly loving myself has been very valuable to me — it doesn’t matter how late in life it happened.

• Swan Song is in cinemas now