The ultra-slim look is once again dominating fashion and celebrity culture, bringing renewed attention to sharply defined abs. The trend is no longer limited to young fitness influencers, with stars in their 50s and 60s now displaying highly sculpted stomachs on red carpets and social media.
Trinny Woodall, 62, Nicole Kidman, 59, and Amanda Holden, 55, are among the celebrities associated with the increasingly popular ‘11-line’ abs look.
The term refers to two distinct vertical lines running down either side of the abdomen, creating the appearance of a lean, toned midsection that has quickly become a sought-after body ideal.
But fitness professionals warn that pursuing this defined stomach at all costs may encourage excessive exercise, injury, disordered eating, mental health struggles and weakened bones.
Personal trainer Edwina Jenner told the Daily Mail that visible abdominal muscles are not automatically a cause for concern.
“There is nothing inherently dangerous about having visible abdominal definition,” she said. “The concern begins when achieving those lines involves restrictive eating, extreme or compulsive workouts, or the belief that your body is never quite good enough. A visible six-pack or 11-line stomach is not proof of overall health.
“Celebrities often have access to expensive trainers, private gyms, nutrition experts, personal chefs and the time needed to focus heavily on their appearance. For many of them, looking a certain way is also part of their profession.”
Gwyneth Paltrow, 54, has famously said she skips breakfast as part of the routine she follows to maintain her toned physique and defined abs
Davina McCall, 59, reportedly gets up at 6.15am to exercise before eating, then takes her dog, Bo, for a lengthy walk while wearing weighted gloves. Source: Instagram / Davinamccall
Personal trainer Edwina Hall says the pursuit of ‘11-line’ abs may fuel compulsive workouts, injuries, mental health difficulties and poor bone health
She continued: “This is not an ordinary reality for most women, yet these highly demanding standards appear constantly across social media and in celebrity coverage.
“People should also remember that lighting, camera angles, posing and flexing can all make abdominal definition appear much more dramatic in photographs.”
For anyone attempting to recreate a celebrity physique, Jenner said the physical and psychological consequences can be considerable.
“Failing to eat enough to fuel exercise and daily life can result in exhaustion, poor concentration and inadequate recovery between sessions, increasing the risk of injury,” she said.
“Over a longer period, consistently under-fuelling the body can weaken bones and make it more difficult to preserve muscle mass.
“Trying to achieve a particular look may also create increasingly strict rules around food and exercise, heighten fears about gaining weight and lead to an unhealthy fixation on eating and body shape.”
Amanda Holden has said she eats only two meals a day and routinely misses lunch
Jennifer Lopez is widely recognised for her exceptionally toned figure and highly defined abs. Source: Instagram / jlo
“For some women, these behaviours can become socially isolating and may contribute to the development of an eating disorder,” she added.
“Giving a body feature a memorable label can make it easier to market as the next fitness target. ‘11-line abs’ sounds like something that can be achieved through one specific programme, but bodies are individual and cannot be reduced to a single workout formula.”
A rise in GLP-1 use has seen skinny figures soar, however abs operate in a tricky middle space.
As a show of visible muscle, some might assume they’re a picture of physical health and strength, but the reality is many women achieve them by restricting calories.
Edwina said: ‘Lower body fat generally makes abdominal definition more visible. Around 18 per cent is sometimes suggested as a rough guide for women, but that is not a reliable cut-off, as it’s affected by genetics.’
PwC estimates that one in eight Brits will be taking GLP-1s by 2027, with the likes of Kelly Osbourne, Serena Williams and James Corden already admitting to use.
Edwina said: ‘I think the rise of GLP-1 medications has contributed to the renewed emphasis on extreme thinness in celebrity culture.
‘These medications absolutely have their place. My concern is when the ambition shifts from improving health to becoming as thin as possible.
‘Women need to understand that weight loss can include muscle loss as well as fat loss. Being thinner is not the same as being healthier.’
Halle Berry, now 60, first unveiled her six-pack on Instagram in 2019. She said at the time that she had ‘smashed’ her goal of getting ‘ripped abs’
Charlize Theron, 51, lives an alcohol-free lifestyle and has juice and green salads ‘every day’. She credits Pilates for her ‘changed body’
Although there’s no suggestion any of the celebs named in this piece take Ozempic or Mounjaro, they will surely feel the pressure of being pictured alongside stars who do.
Edwina, who predominantly works with women aged 40 to 60, also revealed the particular challenges these stars face given their age.
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She said: ‘As oestrogen levels fall during perimenopause and after menopause, women tend to store more fat around their middle, rather than their hips and bottom. This means your waistline can change even without a significant increase in your weight.
‘Alongside this, we lose muscle as we age, which affects our metabolic health and reduces our daily energy levels.
‘Combined with changes in sleep, eating habits, stress and lower activity levels, this can make it easier to gain fat.
‘That can make visible abdominal definition harder to achieve, but it does not mean women cannot build muscle or improve their fitness. The answer is not just to eat less and do more ab exercises.
‘My advice remains the same for midlife women. You can have a strong, capable core without starving yourself or seeing a single line.’
She concluded: ‘It’s fantastic and encouraging to see women in midlife celebrated for their strength and activity.
‘My concern is when that becomes another appearance standard women feel obliged to meet.
‘We should be widening the picture of what a fit, strong woman can look like, rather than giving her another body part to scrutinise.’
The stars pictured in this piece all work hard at their physiques.
Actress Ali Larter, 50, wakes up at 4.30am to workout before her two kids wake and admits she ‘eats very clean, but I eat’
Nicole Kidman swears by a mixture of running, swimming and Lagree (which is an intense form of Reformer Pilates)
Unlike Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, 62, instead favours kickboxing, Pilates and weight training
Amanda Holden, for example, has admitted to eating just two meals a day, always skipping lunch.
And while she never deprives herself of an Aperol Spritz or a cheese sandwich, she previously told TV Times: ‘The deal I struck with myself was I have to run for my rosé in the summer and run for my red wine in winter.’
Actress Ali Larter, 50, wakes up at 4.30am to work out before her two kids wake and admits she ‘eats very clean, but I eat’.
Gwyneth Paltrow, 54, famously skips breakfast. She sparked fury in 2023 by admitting she eats bone broth for lunch, followed by an hour-long Pilates workout, and then a vegetable-heavy Paleo dinner (that’s no wheat, dairy or processed carbs).
Trinny Woodall, who showed off her amazing bikini body on a trip to India in March, swears by strength training or yoga five days-a-week.
Halle Berry, now 60, first unveiled her six-pack on Instagram in 2019. She said at the time that she had ‘smashed’ her goal of getting ‘ripped abs’.
She admitted it was hard work and not ‘easy’, adding ‘but that pay off? Worth every damn second’.
Amazingly, she has managed to maintain her figure into her 60s. In 2025, she admitted she ‘used to do a lot of cardio’ but had swapped running for weight training, after years of avoiding it in case it made her ‘muscly’.
Davina McCall, 59, wakes at 6.15am every day to work out on an empty stomach, before taking her dog, Bo, on a long walk wearing weighted gloves.
Charlize Theron, 51, lives an alcohol-free lifestyle and has juice and green salads ‘every day’. She credits Pilates for her ‘changed body’.
She once told Harper’s Bazaar Australia: ‘I’m always calculating my activity. If I haven’t been moving a lot, I can’t eat a lot.’
Keri Russell, star of Netflix’s The Diplomat, learnt Krav Maga, a self-defence system developed for the Israel Defence Forces for a previous acting role and still does combat-style workouts with her PT to this day.
The 50-year-old actress loves bike riding too. In 2020, she told Shape Magazine: ‘I feel my absolute best – my sexiest – after a good workout’.
Nicole Kidman swears by a mixture of running, swimming and Lagree (which is an intense form of Reformer Pilates), while Sandra Bullock, 62, favours kickboxing, Pilates and weight training.
Edwina is the founder of The Strength Edit, an online membership offering structured six-week strength programmes, from beginner level upwards, helping women build strength at home or in the gym. Find her on Instagram: @edwinajennercoaching.