It’s perhaps not the first activity you’d associate with the uber-glamorous model, actor and designer. But when she's at home in Herefordshire, Liz Hurley credits vigorous gardening with helping her stay in shape – and it’s something she does every day.

‘I haven’t set foot in a gym for decades and don’t work out per se, but I’m very active by nature and very rarely sit still. I spend all day outside wrestling my garden into submission, so, by default, I bend, stretch and lift things all day long,’ she told Hello! magazine. And the science backs her up – 30 to 45 minutes a day of gardening can reduce high blood pressure and lower your risk of type 2 diabetes; it’s good for your bones, muscles and joints. Then, there’s the fact that it lowers stress levels, boosts your mood and improves concentration and focus... and can even help with fat burning.

Liz also shared a further insight into her morning routine. ‘If I’m not working, I don’t set an alarm and wake up naturally – usually between 7am and 8am,’ she told Hello! ‘I slurp a probiotic and take the dogs out clutching my binoculars, in the hope that I spot our resident goshawks with whom I’m obsessed. Then I take a few tasty morsels out to James the tortoise and stroke the top of his head for a bit. Once back home I have a few espressos, check my inbox and the rest of the day is usually a whirlwind of cooking, gardening, signing off on projects and the dreaded Zooms.’

The bikini designer is often photographed in her own designs, and in an Instagram post, revealed her top tip to anyone who worries about being snapped in swimwear. ‘Being photographed in a bikini can be scary so here’s my number one tip: LIE DOWN!! Even in hideous overhead light, or with nasty hi-def camera phones... if you s-t-r-e-t-c-h out enough and wear sunglasses you’ll look fine.’

And she also revealed the nutrition rules she abides by in her 60s. ‘My mantra is: don’t eat too much, too fast, too often or too late. Or, put another way, eat smaller meals, chew properly, ban snacking and eat dinner earlier. This works for me. I don’t drink weird green juices or shakes and only take supplements if a blood test tells me I’m lacking something.

‘I try to have vegetables or fruit equal half of every plate I eat – ie if I have a sandwich, I also eat an apple. I eat pretty much everything but only have junk food as an absolute treat – and I count junk food as anything that contains any ingredient that I don’t have in my own kitchen, so that includes ‘diet’ and ‘low-fat’ everything, all ready meals, all bought sandwiches, cakes and biscuits and all sodas.

‘Other than diet, my other advice is to move more. I don’t go to the gym or do any set exercise but I’m extremely active. There endeth the sermon.’