Rachel Ward has a message for those who have criticized her looks at 68: aging is a powerful journey, and she’s living proof.

The actress, widely recognized for her role as Meghan “Meggie” Cleary in the 1983 miniseries The Thorn Birds, recently addressed some critical comments about her “rather unkempt appearance” before Christmas, emphasizing that aging is a mark of achievement.

In a video she shared on Instagram on Thursday, January 15, Ward explained that she has transitioned from the glamour of Hollywood to a content life on a farm. She joked about needing to “do my hair and apply some lippy” before appearing on social media.

“To those who reacted to the uproar over trolls discussing my looks, I’ve made a small effort today. I ran my hands through my hair, among other things. But anyway, just remember, don’t fear getting older,” she said in the video, expressing how her sixties have been a “wonderful period of life.”

“I feel more fulfilled than ever, with no regrets about leaving my youth and beauty behind,” she added. “I may not be young, but I’m very content with where I am.”

Ward, who looks over a 350-head beef cattle farm with husband Bryan Brown in Australia’s Nambucca Valley, highlighted that youth is fleeting, and there are countless blessings that come with age, including wisdom on what is most important in life. (The couple celebrated 40 years of marriage in 2023. Brown and Ward wed in April 1983 and now share kids Rosie, Matilda and Joe.)

Brooke Shields has spent a lot of her life being pleasant. As a preteen, she smiled courteously as journalists inquired about whether she felt oversexualized and exploited in films like 1978’s Pretty Baby and her instantly iconic Calvin Klein ads two years later. She was the dutiful daughter to her mother and manager, Teri, whose […]

“Later years are to be exalted and welcomed. You wait until you get there,” the actress shared with her social media followers. “They have so many other gifts to bestow that you have no idea what they are until you get there.”

She went on to thank fans who rushed to her defense. “Don’t worry about me. I do recognize that we’re all a little bit worried about losing our youth and resorting to rather drastic ways of holding on to it, but let it go,” Ward said.

In her Instagram caption, the former Vogue model quipped that she “would crawl under a rock but [is] very keen to promote my new initiative,” referring to FARMTHRU, which is testing an innovative way to buy regenerative food and groceries that is better “for your family and the planet.”

“Check it out and support farmers who balance both land, animals and your health,” she concluded in her caption. “Wait until you taste the difference. Bulk buy prices.”

Danica McKellar is all about aging gracefully. “This is 51! 🌟,” McKellar wrote via Instagram on Saturday, January 3, on her 51st birthday. “No makeup, no filters, just front-facing lighting and a healthy lifestyle to look — and more importantly — *feel* the best I can. 🙌.” In her fresh-faced selfie, the actress smiled for […]

Ward’s husband previously dished about the secret to his long-lasting marriage, telling The Mirror, “The main thing is to say yes to your wife all the time, and if anything goes wrong say, ‘It’s my fault.’ If men understood that, they’d be happier.”

The lovebirds crossed paths in 1983 when they were cast as husband and wife in The Thorn Birds. He even gave her a palm reading on set and accurately predicted she would have three children. Brown pointed out, “Yes, I did say that, but I didn’t say they would be mine!”