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Mrs Kenny's heading for 50 -- and still looking fabulous ...

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Wednesday Jan 25 2012

For more than two decades, Kathy Kenny has cut a petite, svelte figure at the side of her husband, RTE's top current affairs broadcaster Pat Kenny. And as she prepares for her 50th birthday next year, she looks better than ever.

A glance through her photograph file -- from the stylish wedding off the Champs Elysees in 1992 to the many charity events down through the years to a recent first night -- shows that nothing changes with Kathy.

She always manages to leave her Dalkey home looking picture-perfect. A recent excursion to the Grand Canal Theatre, accompanied by Pat (63) and daughters Kristina (18) and her younger sister Nicole (16), provoked a lot of comment on social networking sites. There was just one question: How does she do it?

Of course, husband Pat pulls in a sizeable pay packet from RTE -- but the truth is that Kathy's style is one that many women approaching their 50s could copy relatively cheaply.

One of her apparently contradictory secrets is that she changes her style -- but stays true to herself. "From the '90s to 2011, you can't tell which year Kathy is in and that is key," says Marietta Doran, fashion stylist and personal shopper. She says many people in the public eye are slaves to the latest fashion trend which can swiftly leave photographs dated. But Kathy has avoided the trap.

"She looks stylish in photographs 20 years apart. How she has managed to maintain her youthful look and changed her look is to be applauded. She has a great sense of style of herself."

The fashion presenter for RTE and Channel 4 Racing in the UK said there are some tricks women can deploy to ensure they age stylishly. Firstly, dress to suit yourself and ensure you have two full- length mirrors to view an outfit from every angle.

"In every wardrobe there should be five key survival pieces -- skinny trousers for boots, nice bootcut trousers, a good black dress, white shirt and fitted suit jacket," she said.

Marietta pointed out Kathy was the epitome of 'yummy mummy' in the recent snapshot from the Grand Canal Theatre where she worked a simple colour block, with a trendy pair of Michael Kors wedges, a top tucked into skinny jeans and an eye-catching necklace.

"There is something to suit every budget and every wardrobe," Marietta said of the current fashions in high-street stores such as Zara or New Look. And a final tip?

"Keep it simple -- and stick to a colour palette with two colours maximum."

But, of course, it's not all about style. How do you get the Kathy 'glow' 20 years into a marriage?

The pair married in Paris in June 1992, after meeting six years earlier at a tennis event when she was a 29-year-old lab technician at a Dublin hospital.

There's a clue to her looks from that first meeting: she's still said to be a mean tennis player and she and Pat get their fresh air and exercise walking the dogs along Killiney beach.

The couple are also well-known among friends for being very strict with their diets. This is key, according to fitness guru Damien Maher from Bfit4Life, as both exercise and diet can prove cheap and extremely effective "anti-agers".

Damien says many people approaching middle age try everything from slimming classes to radical diets to stave off the ravages of age. But it's all for nothing if they've lost their muscle tone. This can be remedied with small but long-term lifestyle changes, he said.

Damien begins working with them to improve flexibility, with yoga and pilates, and starts a weight- training programme to improve muscle tone. "It has been shown to be anti-aging and it will help you regain your youth more than any skin cream," he said.

Of course, if you're not blessed with a Kathy Kenny metabolism, there are a few tricks. One of Louise Graham's top tips is the skin peel. Louise, from the Harley Medical Group, says it's a beauty procedure that can take years off.

And it doesn't have to cost a fortune.

At the lower end, an Agera Skin Peel is €87. If you're really flush, the Obagi Blue Peel removes layers of aged skin at a cost of €865. At this time of the year, though, a brisk walk on the beach in the cool wind is probably a good alternative. Just ask Kathy ...

Irish Independent