Jessica Rowe admits that she struggles to flaunt her sexy side, but the television presenter and mum of two proved that she is sexier than ever in The Real Dirty Dancing, showing off her trim physique and dirty dance moves.
Joining seven other celebrities, Jessica, 49, travelled to the US where she learnt some of the famous moves from Dirty Dancing and she got to show off her moves in a one-off performance at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre that will air in tonight’s episode.
WATCH: Jessica Rowe breaks down on the Real Dirty Dancing
“I mean, I am terrified,” she laughs to New Idea. “But it really was an incredible thing to be a part of and I can’t wait to see it on the telly. As it gets closer, I think the butterflies get bigger in my stomach just thinking, ‘what is it going to look like?’ but we had a ball … it was scary but fun!”
While bringing out her sexy side was difficult, Jessica reveals that she has never felt more confident than she does at 49.
“The older I get, the happier I get,” she says. “I just feel so much more comfortable in my own skin and for me that’s a really great place to be.”
Indeed, Jessica admits that she no longer feels the pressure to live up to expectations like she did in her youth.
“I look back and I realise in my 20s and 30s I wasted far too much energy invested in what people thought of me and also wasting energy on people, who really, when I think about it, I didn’t really like very much,” she reveals.
“Whereas now I’m 49 and I can say I’m the happiest I’ve ever been because I really embrace who I am, my sort of flaws, my vulnerabilities, my quirks, I realise that I’m not perfect … it is impossible to have the perfect life; it’s impossible to be all things to everyone, and we have to let go of that myth of being Superwoman, that myth of being the perfect mum, the perfect wife, the perfect friend, the perfect career woman – there’s no such thing.”
In fact, Jessica, who tells it like it is, claims she is far from perfect, dubbing herself a “crap housewife”.
“I’m a huge believer in being honest, that’s why I call myself a crap housewife,” she laughs.
“I’m not a great cook, I’ve a messy house, but that’s OK because my kids are happy; they’ll eat my crappy spaghetti bolognaise that I’ll dish up, you know and once a week they’ll eat my sausages and mashed potato and those sorts of things and that’s all fine. I don’t have to pretend to be perfect.”
Despite feeling better than ever, Jessica does admit that she notices the ageing process. “As I get older the needs of my skin have changed and I definitely need more moisture,” she reveals.
That is why she swears by Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel – and has recently become the Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel ambassador. “For my body, Bio-Oil is fantastic for overall moisturising,’ she says.
“But I do use botox and I’m open about that. I’d rather be open about it than just sort of say, ‘oh I just do green drinks’. I do botox because it makes me feel better.
“I’ve never felt pressured to do it because of working on television or anything like that. I do it because I feel better about myself and it’s a very personal decision.”
Of course, as a mum, Jessica wants to instil in her daughters, Allegra and Giselle, who she shares with husband Peter Overton, that no matter what we do on the outside, true beauty comes from within.
“I think that what I try to impress upon my girls – and it’s something that my mum taught me, and it was probably the best beauty advice – is just ‘stop looking in the mirror’,” she says.
“I really try and talk to them about being beautiful on the inside and that’s where your true beauty comes from.”
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