‘No Botox I'm Growing Old Disgracefully!'

Emmerdale star Claire King reveals why she’ll never go under the knife

- Sue Crawford

Back in the 1990s, during her first stint at Emmerdale, Claire King was nominated the title Sexiest Female at The British Soap Awards.

Fast forward 30 years and the glamorous actress is still winning admirers for her portrayal of manipulative bad girl Kim Tate.

But while Claire looks amazing for 58, she says her looks are not something she gives much thought to.

‘I won’t be winning the Sexiest Female this time around,’ she laughs. ‘Probably wrinkliest because I don’t do Botox. I’m very relaxed about ageing, I made the choice not to have anything done and grow old disgracefully.

She adds, ‘My fella [Claire has been with her partner for 10 years, but won’t publicly name him] is happy with it. He can’t stand the look of people on Instagram, he thinks they all look the same.’

Claire was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in her 30s, meaning she suffers from painful joints. One side effect is that she has a low immune system – another reason she’s avoided cosmetic surgery.

‘To have an operation is risking my health, so I made the decision that I’m not going down that route,’ she explains.

Funny, feisty and frank, Claire is great company and despite her success on the small screen – with starring roles in