I didn't exercise until I was 50 but this is how I look so good at 76: LADY ASTOR OF HEVER reveals nine steps she follows to drop weight, look young and banish bat wings... and the secret £6.36 trick she swears by

At 76, a mother of three, a stepmother to three and a grandmother of three, I’ve just launched my first fragrance line.I’ve always loved being busy and my life has had many iterations. I have been a model – but only for a very short time – a teacher, an activist, an author and a fundraiser for the National Autistic Society, because my daughter Olivia is autistic.I have been married three times, been a vegetarian Buddhist and even been shipwrecked in Indonesia. I met my current husband Johnnie (3rd Baron Astor of Hever) in 1989. It’s fair to say my life has been colourful.People often ask if this fragrance era is my final reinvention but I don’t think so. I always say, ‘Life is not over till you’re dead’. Plus I’ve just written my second novel. In my experience, curiosity and an interest in life and the world keep you young. These are the other things I’ve learned about looking and feeling good.It’s never too lateI’ve always been active but didn’t start doing any formal, regular exercise until I was 50. I was spurred into action after my brother nearly died climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with me in aid of the National Autistic Society (we hadn’t realised he had heart problems).Now I do classes in my kitchen for an hour over Zoom three times a week. On Monday we do strength and HIIT [high-intensity interval training], on Wednesday Pilates and on Friday functional strength training – all with personal trainer Samantha Lucas, who I have been working with for over 25 years. I’ve recently been diagnosed with slight osteoporosis and have started skipping to help with that. Lady Astor of Hever, with her granddaughter, Star, insists that a sense of curiosity in the world keeps you young The mother-of-three says she stays active by doing exercise classes in her kitchen over Zoom each week, from strength training to Pilates Good food is fuelI try to eat well. I always buy organic chicken, vegetables and line-caught fish, and avoid sugar as much as possible. Breakfast might be Greek yogurt with blueberries, pomegranate, a mixture of seeds and several cups of Earl Grey tea plus a slice of toast and marmalade.Lunch might be salad with chicken or quails eggs, and in the evening lots of greens. We don’t like to eat late as I hate going to bed groaning.I still drink white wine even though I’ve been told alcohol is bad for osteoporosis.Hair is everythingIf my hair looks awful, I feel awful. So I invest a lot in it. I’ve been going to John Frieda to see Caroline O’Brien for colour and Sherman Sullivan for my cut for about 25 years.Occasionally I think it’s too expensive (and often joke that by now I could have bought a Ferrari with that money) but some things are worth paying for.Don’t let yourself goIt’s important in a marriage, and for you, to take care of yourself. I go to Kamini Beauty (kaminibeauty.com) for threading – she’s the best in the world.And I’ve been going to see Nicky Eldershaw at Ozzie Rizzo’s hair salon in Mayfair (ozzierizzo.com) for a facial, manicure and leg wax for 43 years. She introduced me to Sothys skincare, a French brand I’ve been using for over four decades (from £54.76, amazon.co.uk). 'Too many people don’t make the effort with what they wear,' writes Lady Astor of Hever The 76-year-old, who has just launched her own fragrance line, swears by the saying 'Life is not over till you’re dead’I only wear polish on my toes in the summer – always Malaga Wine by OPI – and Mademoiselle by Essie on my fingernails. Otherwise bare, well-kept nails are far chicer.I wear make-up every day, even if at home. After all my husband has to look at me. I use Christian Dior Forever Skin Glow foundation (£54, dior.com), No7 eyeshadows (£6.36, boots.com) and Eyecare Volumizing Mascara (£20.60, amazon.co.uk), which I found online and like so much I keep reordering.I weigh myself every morning. If I go 3lb above the number I’m happy with, I reduce my intake for a day or two. Weight control is all about portion control and never eating between meals. But sometimes I’ll skip lunch or only have a banana if I’m watching my weight or in a rush.Dress to impressToo many people don’t make the effort with what they wear these days, which I think is a shame. I still like to dress up. I usually wear something more tailored as it suits my shape and style. Flopsy-mopsy layered dresses are not my style. I love to shop at Reiss but have bought some fabulous pieces in Zara and Uniqlo. 'I do a lot of "anti-batwing" exercises, so I can still go sleeveless,' Lady Astor of Hever revealsRight to bare armsI do a lot of ‘anti-batwing’ exercises, so I can still go sleeveless. I recently added chiffon sleeves to a winter dress to make it a little warmer, so when I no longer feel I can bare arms, I’ll do that to anything I want to keep in my wardrobe.Supplement teaI take so many supplements. I get them all out in a little dish and wash them down with a pot of tea every morning.I take Bone Balance to strengthen my bones, Vitamin D spray made by BetterYou, Collagen Complex with turmeric by Bettervits, for my skin, hair and nails, and Glucosamine and Chondroitin Complex from Sports Supplies for joint health.Variety is spice of lifeIn February, I went alone to Cairo to see the new Grand Egyptian Museum. In May I went to Pompeii with a friend and in June my husband and I went to Vienna to celebrate his birthday. I’ve also been cycling in Rwanda, where I saw gorillas. I love going on adventures. It keeps you young.Fabulous fragranceAt 5.30pm, my mother used to rush upstairs before my father got home to freshen up as she was a smoker and pretended to him that she wasn’t. She’d clean her teeth and put on lipstick and fragrance.She’d let me smell her Jean Patou Joy and say ‘Liz, this is the most expensive fragrance in the world’. That was the beginning of my passion for perfume.The fragrances in my new line are inspired by different times of my life. There’s Hethersett from my childhood in Norfolk, named after the village my Mackintosh grandparents lived in. Nadira No9 is inspired by travels in the Middle East. Then there’s Adrift: 8.7°S 118.3°E which are grid co-ordinates in the Indonesian archipelago.In 1973 I took a cargo boat from Lombok to Bali but halfway across the engines broke and we drifted at sea for 12 days with no food or water.Eventually we washed ashore 200 miles away. I was convinced we were done for. It made me realise how precious life is – something I’ve never forgotten.As told to Edwina Ings-Chambers.Lizastor.com