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Soap icon devastated over mum's cancer death - 'I'll never get over it'After losing her mother 12 years ago, Davinia Taylor couldn't bear the thought of dying young and leaving her four sons

early, so she transformed her diet and lifestyle to ensure she'll be healthy for decades to comeCommentsFeaturesCharlotte Heathcote08:00, 24 May 2025Updated 13:44, 24 May 2025Hollyoaks

star-turned-wellbeing guru Davinia Taylor has written a manual to help anyone feel younger and even live longer(Image: Nathan Damour) Ten years ago, Davinia Taylor felt old before her time.

“Bearing in mind I hadn’t drunk for five years, I felt hungover, sluggish, I had no self-esteem and no get-up-and-go,” she says. “Life was like walking through quicksand.”

So the Hollyoaks actress changed her diet and lifestyle, dramatically transforming her physical and mental wellbeing, which, in turn, sparked a passion for health and wellness that inspired

her 2021 book It’s Not A Diet and Hack Your Hormones in 2023.

‌ And the results are startling. Davinia, now 47, has discovered – thanks to a GlycanAge blood test that identifies chronic inflammation – that she has a biological age of 20. “I feel better

than I ever did in my teens, twenties or thirties,” she says. “Internally, you could be ageing ferociously and you don’t even know it.”

‌ In fact, she reports that the average woman in England and Wales spends 23% of her life in poor health. That’s the statistic that prompted her shift of focus towards the idea of

“healthspan” – the number of years we spend in good health – rather than just lifespan.

After overhauling her diet and lifestyle, Davinia Taylor, now 47, has discovered that she has a biological age of 20READ MORE: Billie Shepherd reveals real reason for quitting hit Family

Diaries TV show “Research shows only 25% of differences in lifespan is down to genetics. The rest is down to what we do,” she says.

Article continues below Already a wellness entrepreneur with her own supplements brand, WillPowders, Davinia has now done a deep dive into the world of health longevity and the result is

Futureproof: Build Resilience, Feel Younger, Live Longer, which distils extensive in-depth research into a game-changing, accessible wellbeing bible that she hopes can help women everywhere.

Davinia may seem like an unlikely health guru. A former party girl who was part of the 90s Primrose Hill set, she socialised with Kate Moss and Sadie Frost, and married first husband Dave

Gardner, David Beckham’s best friend.

Life looks very different today. Happily wed to builder Matthew Leyden, she has four sons aged nine to 17. Davinia has been sober for 16 years and practises what she preaches, following the

science to stay fit, healthy and active for as long as she possibly can.

‌Over ten years ago (left), Davinia Taylor started eating more protein, adding meat into her diet and rewiring her brain so she no longer craves sweet treats(Image: daviniataylor /

Instagram) And it’s clearly working – she glows with health and has an enviable line-free complexion that is testament to her lifestyle. But while many are motivated by vanity, Davinia is

driven by something more profound – her mother’s death from cancer at the age of 60.

“That was 12 years ago and it’s still too much for me to deal with,” she says. “I’ll never get over it. And I’m coming up to my 50th. If I think about my boys going through losing me, not

having a grandmother for their children and everything I’d miss out on... suddenly mortality is very much on my radar.”

‌ One of Davinia’s key discoveries was that her supposedly “healthy” low-fat diet was having a disastrous impact on her wellbeing. “After my mum passed away, I didn’t realise that I was

eating unhealthily. I was eating five or six portions of wholegrains a day, a low-fat diet and not much meat.”

But she felt hopelessly lethargic. “If I was going to the supermarket, I’d always park in the mother-and-baby space. And if there wasn’t a space, I’d drive home.”

Happily married to builder Matthew Leyden, Davinia has four sons from age nine to 17‌ Then she learned that her brain was insulin resistant, due to over-exposure to sugar. She addressed this

by taking a tablespoon of MCT oil (a type of easily digested fat), which boosted her brain energy and reduced hunger pangs.

She also changed what she eats. “My diet is very meat heavy now. Meat and two veg makes sense, that’s what we evolved on. I have a super-high calorie intake because I’ve got such a high-fat

diet. But it’s not about calories, it’s about the nutrition you’re getting that will stop you snacking.”

Her ideal snack, though, isn’t “a handful of nuts and a corner of dark chocolate”, she was a crisps and mint Aero girl, so making these changes didn’t come naturally.

‌ She explains, “We’ve had our palates hijacked by the five big companies that make 95% of our snacks – but you can hijack them back. I don’t get cravings any more, unless I’m due on my

period or something stressful has happened – even then, I’ll crave a big sandwich, not a mint Aero.”

And she’s determined to help others do the same. “Growing numbers of people are dying of chronic diseases,” she says. “We’re living longer, but we’re living worse.”

Davinia started her career in long-running soap Hollyoaks playing Jude Cunningham from 1996 to 1998(Image: LIME PICTURES)Article continues below Futureproof: Build Resilience, Feel Younger,

Live Longer by Davinia Taylor (Orion Spring), £16.99, is out now

How to stay forever youngDavinia Taylor’s simple tips for slowing down ageing, boosting energy and feeling great: EAT FOR VITALITY

Most age-related diseases are linked to chronic inflammation, and processed food is a key cause – cut it out. Reduce your intake of sugary foods.Try intermittent fasting – eating all your

meals between 11am and 7pm – as it repairs and regenerates cells.Plan meals around protein. It curbs cravings by steadying blood sugar and supports muscle growth. GET STRONGER

People who move more live longer. Just 90 minutes each week can reduce your risk of dying from all causes by 14%.I run daily for 20 minutes – not to lose weight, but to help my brain. ○ Join

a gym and build muscle. CALM DOWN

Alcohol might feel like instant relief, but you won’t get deep sleep and your anxiety will fly up the next day.Ditch the “treat yourself” mentality (sugar is linked to anxiety) and get

outside.Enjoy sunlight, exercise and connection.

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