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'Never say never': Michelle Obama on Botox, turning 50 and grandkids

Michelle Obama, just days away from turning 50, has yet to reach her peak, she says in an exclusive interview with People magazine about her milestone birthday, getting older, and whether she’d ever consider plastic surgery.Obama said her job as the nation’s first lady is “pretty high up,” but she feels her life is “ever-evolving” and noted she’ll only be in her early 50s when she le
US First Lady Michelle Obama smiles as  President Barack Obama talks to members of the military and their families during a Christmas dinner in Anders...
First lady Michelle Obama spoke to People magazine about turning 50 and her future.JEWEL SAMAD / Today

Michelle Obama, just days away from turning 50, has yet to reach her peak, she says in an exclusive interview with People magazine about her milestone birthday, getting older, and whether she’d ever consider plastic surgery.

People magazine
Today

Obama said her job as the nation’s first lady is “pretty high up,” but she feels her life is “ever-evolving” and noted she’ll only be in her early 50s when she leaves the White House.

“I have so much more that I should do. I don’t have the right to just sit on my talents or blessings,” the lawyer and former hospital executive said. “I’ve got to keep figuring out ways to have an impact — whether as a mother or as a professional or as a mentor to other kids.”

But while she is happy with how she looks and feels, the first lady said she wouldn’t rule out plastic surgery, Botox or fillers one day.

“Women should have the freedom to do whatever they need to do to feel good about themselves,” she said. “Right now, I don’t imagine that I would go that route, but I’ve also learned to never say never.”

The interview hits newsstands Friday, when Obama turns 50. She told the magazine she feels more self-assured than ever, crediting her vitality to being healthy, which means being on top of her medical exams. She has never missed a mammogram or Pap smear, and she also has had a colonoscopy. Obama, whose "Let's Move!" initiative targets childhood obesity, also eats healthy, although she said she doesn’t “obsess about what I eat.”

Obama said she recently tweaked her workout routine, shifting away from her usual weight-bearing and cardio exercises toward doing more yoga to help keep her flexible.

US First Lady Michelle Obama plays tennis while attending a mini-Olympics event with local school children at American University's Bender Arena March...
Obama told People magazine she recently shifted her workout routine away from cardio exercises to include more yoga.MANDEL NGAN / Today

Obama said she would like to one day be the type of grandmother her mom, 76-year-old Marian Robinson, has been to her teenage daughters, Malia and Sasha. She said she would like to one day help her daughters raise their own kids, especially during the early baby years when balancing family and career can be difficult. 

“I want to be that grandma. But I also might be still peaking,” she said. “I’ll have to balance it all — being a good grandma with doing the work I care about.”

The interview with Obama will be available in the People magazine issue that hits newsstands on Friday.