I took one look at Kate Beckinsale in those gaunt photos and a sad truth about over-50s women suddenly dawned on me, writes AMANDA GOFF

Like many of you, my jaw hit the floor when I saw those photos of British actress Kate Beckinsale’s new face at Variety’s 2024 Power of Women event.

Kate, 51, and a natural beauty by anybody’s standards, appears to have traded in her naturally striking features in favour of a brand-new face – and body – that makes her look like a carbon copy of every single reality star and Insta influencer out there.

The woman in the photos wasn’t the classy Hollywood star Kate Beckinsale who I’d always found so sophisticated in that English rose sort of way, but a woman who’d been cut, stretched, injected, nipped, prodded, sucked and plumped into something unrecognisable.

I’m not a plastic surgeon (although I wish I was, I’d have a much more impressive property portfolio) so I won’t list all the cosmetic procedures I think she’s had… but if I was a betting girl, I’d guess a face lift, neck lift and ‘fox eye’ surgery for starters.

Let me make this clear: I’ve long been a champion of a woman’s right to do whatever the hell she wants to do to her body to look and feel good. Hell, I’ve done it!

And Kate does look stunning – certainly better than me on a good day.

But what I wonder is… does it feel good to look this way, Kate? Are you happier? And are you doing it for you? Or are you doing it to keep up with the ridiculous standards Hollywood – and society in general – puts on woman who dare to age past 50.

My guess is no. 

The woman in the photos wasn’t the classy Hollywood star Kate Beckinsale – who I always found to be so sophisticated in that English rose sort of way – but a woman who had been cut, stretched, injected, nipped, prodded, sucked and plumped into something unrecognisable 

I can’t help but wonder whether Kate’s appearance is her trying to keep up with the ridiculous standards Hollywood – and society in general – puts on woman who dare to age past 50. (Kate Beckinsale is pictured in the 2006 move Click, when she was about 32 years old)

My belief is – and I can say this from my own experience – plastic surgery doesn’t necessarily make you happier. In fact, in some cases, it can make you feel even worse. It can make you feel even more insecure and self-critical.

I’m no stranger to going under the knife. I’ve worked in two careers where looks were important – as a beauty editor on glossy magazines and in the adult industry. (Believe it or not, it was the magazine job I wore more make-up for. Men who paid for my services didn’t care about plastic surgery half as much as other women do.)

I’m 50, and during those years I’ll admit I have taken surgery a little far. Here’s my list and counting: a nose job, lower face lift, an upper blepharoplasty, a labiaplasty (Google it), five boob jobs, and, of course, Botox and fillers, the latter of which I stopped and had dissolved two years ago.

Just like Kate, I also look unrecognisable compared to the fresh-faced young twentysomething I used to be. I can’t deny that – which is why I don’t judge her at all.

My belief is – and I say this from my own experience – plastic surgery doesn’t make you happier. I hope whatever work Kate has had done, she did for the right reasons, says Amanda (pictured)

Just like Kate, I also look unrecognisable compared to the fresh-faced young twentysomething I used to be. I can’t deny that – which is why I don’t judge her at all, says Amanda (pictured left after a surgical procedure, and right in a photo taken at the age of 29)

I had my nose done thinking it would change my life. It didn’t. I actually miss my Persian hooter – as seen in this classic shot with Peter Andre – because it gave my face character

But here’s what I am willing to admit: absolutely none of it made me happier in the long- term. In fact, I have some profound regrets.

My surgeons were all fantastic – the best in their field. They explained to me the risks of each procedure meticulously, and I had several consultations before I was allowed to go ahead. This is actually law in Australia: patients need to have a GP referral before undergoing any cosmetic or plastic surgery and be proved to be mentally fit. I also filled out a form asking questions of my mental health and body dysmorphia.

So the issue wasn’t my surgeons or the procedures. The problem was me.

The number-one reason why I know plastic surgery can never make you truly happy is because, regardless of what you have done, it will never be enough. Never.

I had numerous boob jobs (bigger and bigger) thinking it would change my life. It didn’t. Having big boobs actually made life more complicated – certainly with men. They stared, fixated, obsessed and drooled – or smirked – at me. I became a bimbo with big boobs more than a woman with a brain.

And they were never big enough. Even after my last boob job a few years ago, from a neat B cup to a DD, I was already planning the next one.

I had a lower face lift, which looks great, but now I am already wondering when an acceptable time would be to get another quick nip and tuck.

My eyelids were drooping with age so I went under the knife as a 50th birthday present to myself. But now I’m noticing a tiny droop is coming back so I’m thinking of going back already.

The labiaplasty, again, was great – but no one is seeing my nether regions these days. I choose celibacy over casual sex. Honestly, I’d rather have a cup of tea than get naked with someone.

I had my nose done thinking it would change my life. It didn’t. It just changed the shape of my nose. I actually miss my Persian hooter as it gave me character.

I had a lower face lift, which looks great, but now I am already wondering when an acceptable time would be to get another quick nip and tuck

I had numerous boob jobs thinking it would change my life. It didn’t. Having big boobs actually made life more complicated – certainly with men. They stared, fixated, obsessed and drooled – or smirked – at me. I became a bimbo with big boobs more than a woman with a brain

Get my drift? You will never, ever be satisfied. Because the tweaks don’t last forever, and because you will catch yourself in the mirror one day and fixate on a feature that isn’t perfect, and realise, assuming you have the funds, that you can fix it quite easily and before you know it you’re having a consultation again.

I remember crying in my car after a breast enlargement. I was in a lot of pain, I felt terribly low and it dawned on me that nothing had changed in my life except the size of my boobs. ‘What’s wrong with me?’ I sobbed to a girlfriend.

Ladies, use me as a cautionary tale. You may think having that procedure, that tweak, that lift, those silicone balloons – or, heaven forbid, a Brazilian butt lift – will make you happier, will change your life, will make you feel complete, like I thought it would with me.

But believe me, it really doesn’t. It may change the way you look physically or the way clothes fit on your body – but you will still be the same person inside. And if you don’t like that person, fake boobs or a bigger bum isn’t going to fix that.

Kate, you look amazing – but, of course, you always did. I just hope you’re okay where it counts – on the inside.