Kim Cattrall on Beauty, Diet, and (of course) Sex

I can't believe I'm not better.

Right now, Kim Cattrall is making me feel very guilty – and she doesn't mean to do it.

We're talking about her daily beauty routine and the woman who played Samantha Jones is mentally shoving me onto the treadmill.

Take a deep breath. She works out seven days a week!

Yoga. Elliptical. A trainer! No trainer!

"I spend about an hour on my body each day," she says. "Even now when I have a cold, I get to the gym. It's not digging ditches. It's working out for your own health."

The sexpert on "Sex and the City" is making the city tired. Of course, she's her sexy best in those I Can't Believe It's Not Butter ads that run around the clock.

But there is one kryptonite for Kim Cattrall.

"The whole bathing suit season. It's torturous," she whispers. "I try on some of those suits and wonder, 'What were these designers thinking? Who can wear this?' So basically, I'm like anyone else who asks, 'Excuse me, where exactly are your biggest wraps?'"

You giggle. She giggles. Yes, Kim is still our girl. She still has a lot of Samantha Jones pouring out, which makes spending part of a morning with her seem like kicking back with an old friend.

There's even time for a little boy talk.

Ask the single actress about the boys still checking her out and she politely interrupts in her commanding British way.

"Cindy, I prefer men checking me out. I'm done with the boys," she quips. "I'm into the men."

RED CARPET VS. REAL LIFE

Oh, if only her "Sex and the City" cohorts were also in the room. We could dub this a national holiday.

It's just as amazing to have Kim doing some girl talk as she jets around her New York Hotel room where, on a Wednesday morning, she's getting ready for a Glaad benefit this weekend.

Yes, she will have to look seriously stunning on the red carpet – so what else is new? The truth is she's really a more low key type.

"In real life, I'm enjoying less jewelry. Less dressing up. Less making a statement," she says. "I think that's key as you get older. Be more of a mystery. I feel less need to splash it out."

Above all, Kim is a staunch defender of looking great at any age.

"This age rage crap! I've had enough of it," she insists. "I'm bringing my girlfriends together and we're saying, 'We're not going to take this crap anymore of an age-ist society.'

"I want to stick up for women," she says. "Being this age is wonderful. You shouldn't be apologizing for a line or wrinkle. I hate that we have to bend to the pressures of a youth obsessed society.

"Women are 50. We look like 50. Get used to it," she says.

HER BEAUTY BASICS

She will provide a quick head-to-toe beauty course. Start with her face. "You know, I scrub every day. I'm a scrubber," she says. "I use body wash, which I feel keeps my skin firm.

"I've always stayed out of the sun," Kim says. "I'm not drawn to the sun because I have really British skin. I burn and burn then a little tan. Then I peel. It's not attractive."

As for the rest of her routine, she insists, "I'm a sensualist. I enjoy taking a long bath. I love all the beauty rituals that are centuries old. I just played Cleopatra and I loved how she would take milk baths.

"I think part of the human experience is eating and then cleansing. This is very sensual," she says. "I hate how we consider taking care of ourselves to be an extra in life. It should be a given."

Her one beauty trouble zone is her signature blonde hair. "I'm sh— with my hair and I need help. I think we all need someone to cut and style our hair well. That's one area where I think you should find the best.

"I dye my hair, which is hard on it," she says. "So, I baby it and don't wash it every single day."

CUPCAKES AND KETTLEBELLS

Kim is the spokesperson for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter because she always used the product.

"I have a huge appetite," she insists. "So, I need dietary help like I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, which tastes great. In the morning, I'll make an egg with it or put it on a muffin."

She's also someone who will whip up a quick protein drink and eat a piece of cheese as a treat. "I'm eating less and less as I get older," she says. "Eating less is smart.

"I have a lot of friends in the restaurant business and they never gain weight by only eating little bites and tidbits several times a day," she says.

Ask her how long she has been on a diet?

"I jokingly say I've been on a diet since 1976," Kim says with a laugh. "It just never ends."

As someone who travels a lot, she won't even grab a slice of pizza in the airport. "That's not a calorie challenge. It's about not wanting the acid reflux to kick in."

She stays away from sugar.

"I've always been much more of a savory than sweet woman," she says. "I'll do a bite of chocolate now and then, but my heart is in spices and the textures of food."

She does have a key on how to avoid cakes and ice creams.

"I just look at them in the case. They're so beautiful. It's like looking at jewelry," she jokes with a laugh. "Then I think about what I could eat and remember I have to be on the freaking elliptical for hours to burn it off."

"It's hardly ever worth it," says Kim who follows a blood type diet. "I'm a type O. A carnivore. That's why you can keep those cupcakes."

Yes, she works out seven days a week. "I do yoga, cardio, stretching, kettlebells, and the elliptical. I have a trainer. It's so easy to get bored. I also make sure to get my checkups, which is just as important as going to the gym."

It's a hard routine, but she doesn't know any other way to shimmy into those tight fitting gowns.

"It's a huge sacrifice, but I'm not digging ditches. I'm working out. I'm keeping my brain active," she says.

"I want to have it all for as long as I can," she says. "My parents didn't live to this age. I want to see 80."

THE FUTURE OF SEX

"Honestly, I don't know if another movie will happen. Everyone is off doing their own thing," Kim says. "I don't know if they'll get another project together.

"I've heard more of a prequel instead of a sequel."

Could she play the much younger Samantha Jones?

She laughs. "Only if it was like that movie with Brad Pitt where he ages backwards towards infancy," she quips.

In the end, the sexiest woman on "Sex" says that feeling sexy starts in your noggin. She can't believe most of us aren't better up there.

"Feeling sexy is an attitude," Kim says. "It all starts in the brain – and not lower.

"Feeling happy and having that show on your face is the sexiest secret of all," she shares.

By the way, she turns 55 in August. And she will face it smiling. 

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