B&B’s Katherine Kelly Lang Opens Up About Her Milestone Birthday
My feelings about turning 60 are… “Happiness and contentment.”
Best thing about turning 60 is… “Being comfortable in my own skin. My mom has boundless energy and a great frame of mind. I was talking to her and was like, ‘I don’t know if I really want to acknowledge that I’m turning 60 this year,’ and she’s like, ‘Oh, stop it. That was one of my best years, when I turned 60, so you’d better enjoy it and live it up! Be proud of everything, of who you are and what you’ve done by age 60.’ So, I’ve changed my outlook on it because she’s right. Because some of my insecurities were creeping in, I just threw them out the window and listened to my mom because she always gives me the best advice and it worked. It’s all good, and I’m excited.”
Best piece of advice I’d give my younger self is… “Sometimes I think the younger Kelly should give the older Kelly the advice. The younger Kelly would be like, ‘Just go for it. Just do it. Believe in yourself.’ ”
Most valuable lessons I’ve learned in life are… “The more you learn, the more you know you have no control, truly, over anything so you’ve got to let that part of your brain go. You can’t control things so you have to allow the universe to guide you through these things and support you, and once you stop fighting it and let it go, life is so much better.”
Best decade of my life up until now was… “Well, landing B&B was certainly an exciting time. I was 25 and I had other jobs before that, but getting a regular part on a show like B&B changed everything. 35 years later, I’m still working. The show is going strong. It’s an international success and by being on the show, I’ve been able to do other things because of B&B, so every decade has been wonderful. I’m so grateful.”
Best thing about being a mother is… “Well, it’s hard to say because sometimes I miss those years of the young kids, following me around like little ducklings. I miss those years because they go by so fast. I look back and I get sentimental about it.”
Best thing about being a grandmother is… “Well now, I get to relive all that with the grandbabies, which is really fun. It’s great to see your kids as adults and doing their thing. They are always going to be your kids and you’re always going to worry about them, but to see your kids have kids is just mind-boggling. It’s so much fun to spoil the grandbabies. And then, at the end of the day, you hand them back and say, ‘Here you go [laughs].’ ”
Most impressive thing I’ve accomplished is… “My children, for sure.”
What I hope to accomplish in the next decade is… “I’d love to spend another 35 years on B&B; I’ve accomplished a lot in this business of what I’ve wanted to accomplish. There’s still more to do. Opening Benheart, our first store in Beverly Hills, was very exciting, and I really want to make that a success and possibly open a second in another state. It’s been great being an entrepreneur and designing my kaftans and selling them on Home Shopping Network and on the website. Raising three kids was a huge responsibility but also a huge joy and a huge learning lesson, because kids teach you a lot about yourself. I just want to keep living the life I want to live, and be happy. I count my blessings every day.”
THEN AND NOW:
My sense of self at 30: “I don’t even remember [laughs].”
My sense of self now: “I’m definitely more grounded, and I have to give Dom [Zoida] props for that, because having a partner like him is really helpful. I’m really happy to be in this amazing relationship. It feels like I’m home, no matter where I’m at.”
My idea of a good time at 30: “When I was 30 I liked to do extravagant things, I still do, but I think I might have put too much importance on things which didn’t deserve it.”
My idea of a good time now: “Spending time with family and friends. What’s important now is to strive to be a good person and help others around you, to put out love everywhere, even if it’s just smiling at someone walking down the street. It’s about trying to do something good while we are here.”
What represented success to me at 30: “Being Brooke. I love the show. I love the character. Brad [Bell, executive producer/head writer] has truly created a family atmosphere. In all these years, it has never felt like work to me.”
What represents success to me now: “All of the above, but I have to add my family. They’re what I’m most proud of.”
My sense of love at 30: “I think my sense of love when I was 30 is how you think it’s supposed to be, like you’re trying to fit a mold that really isn’t reality. I think a lot of people fell into that 1950s style.”
My sense of love today: “I always felt that I had to fulfill a certain image that just never worked. By letting go of that, I’m definitely much more happy.”
My idea of beauty at 30: “This is so hard, even though I am still a perfectionist but you can’t be perfect all of the time and I did that more in my 30s.”
My idea of beauty today: “Real beauty is that you love yourself for who you are and the more you do that with yourself, the more I think other people do that with you as well.”
What friendship meant to me at 30: “Honestly, I never really had that many friends when I was 30. I was riding horses. I was in a marriage. I was just starting my family at age 30, so that was the focus at that moment.”
What friendship means to me now: “I’m very happy with my girlfriends and believe it or not, most of them either work on B&B or have worked on B&B. I’ve formed some really wonderful friendships.”
What made me happy at 30: “I think I was a young 30 in my mind. I never felt 30. When I was 30, I felt like I was 22. I was not really ready for responsibility. I still had so many questions about life and I was still unsettled.”
What makes me happy today: “I am so much happier today, which is what my mom was trying to tell me. You’ve got to be happy with age because you’ll go through so much and it comes to a point where nothing matters, and you can just completely be yourself.”
PARTY ON!
Birthday: July 25, 1961
The best gift I’ve ever received is… “Love.”
The best way to celebrate, to me, is… “Being with friends and family.”
My ideal birthday guest list includes… “I can’t name everybody so let’s just say friends and family [laughs].”
My ideal birthday menu includes… “Definitely some yummy drinks or the best champagne, and I’ve got to have some cheese and crackers. I love charcuterie. I love to snack and pick at things.”
My favorite cake flavor is… “Probably chocolate.”
My ideal place to celebrate would be… “Wow. It’s always fun to be somewhere European or exotic to mix things up.”
