Weave seen your secret: Raquel Welch 'embraces ageing process' with a hairpiece

By Simon Cable

Mane attraction: But Raquel Welch seems to have had a little help with her hair

She attributes her beauty to nothing more than a healthy diet and plenty of exercise.
But Raquel Welch appears to have forgotten the little extra help she's had preserving her impressive mane.

The 69-year-old actress unwittingly revealed evidence of a hairweave when she arrived at the Barnes and Noble bookshop in New York to promote her autobiography, Raquel: Beyond the Cleavage.

And despite recently urging women to embrace the ageing process, Miss Welch's youthful appearance on the book's cover owes more than a little debt to the photographer's airbrush.


Telltale: The lace strip on her forehead

All traces of laughter lines and crow's feet from around her eyes have been removed, while her real life appearance, albeit impressive for her age, showed signs of a life well lived.

Hair expert Jo Hansford, who has worked with the star in the past, said: 'It looks like Raquel has had a front-lace hairpiece. This is where a strip of lace is glued to the hairline and strands are pulled through.

'It's designed to make the hairline look thicker and stronger. Hair is usually combed over to disguise it, but unfortunately it's been exposed on this occasion.'


Virtual reality: But on the cover of Beyond The Cleavage: The Real Story Behind The Sex Symbol, she appears to have had a little help from the airbrush


Airbrushed: Raquel seen on the cover of her autobiography


In a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey, Miss Welch said women should accept growing old. 'I want them to stop being scared of it because it's just another chapter in life,' she said.

'I want to encourage them to really embrace it and go with it.'

The One Million Years B.C. star, who famously posed in a fur bikini for the 1960's film, arrived wearing a pair of tight jeans and a figure-hugging blue waistcoat.

The mother-of-two, who split from her fourth husband, restaurateur Richard Palmer, 15 years her junior, in 2003, has always denied having any cosmetic surgery to maintain her looks, which saw her signed up as the face of MAC cosmetics at the age of 66.

She once claimed she spent up to ten hours a day keeping herself in shape through a combination of yoga sessions, weight training, healthy eating and her make-up regime.

'I've always been a health fanatic,' she said. 'I found out a long time ago that if I indulged by stuffing my face with great food, lying about reading books and watching TV or talking on the phone, I was not a happy camper.

'Turning 60 was not a happy time. I didn't think 'I'm falling apart', but I did re-examine my priorities. I'm far more ready to go with the flow now because I am more accepting of myself. '


Sex symbol: The actress, who is approaching her 70th birthday, looked sleek and glamorous in a navy blue waistcoat and jeans outfit at the book launch


Embrace the age: Welch has urged women to embrace the ageing process



source: dailymail