Gwyneth Paltrow turned 49 last month — and she’s genuinely thrilled about that.
That’s because the actor-turned-entrepreneur doesn’t view midlife as a time to wind down or settle for what she already has in life. Instead, as she revealed in an interview with TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie, it’s a time for discovery, celebration and a fulfilling romance.
“I love middle age,” Paltrow raved. “I'm super into it.”
And she’s super into the woman she’s become.
“By the time you're in your mid-40s, you really know yourself,” she said. “And I think if you really give yourself the permission to be yourself, it's so freeing.”
Maybe that’s why three years ago, when she was in her mid-40s, she felt free to pursue love again and marry writer and producer Brad Falchuk.
“I just feel so grateful,” she said of their relationship. “The quality of our communication and our friendship, it's really thrilling.”
Fans got a sample of just how thrilling it is last month, when Falchuk marked Paltrow’s 49th birthday by sharing a moving and adoring tribute to the woman he loves on Instagram.
He raved about her beauty, humor, observance and actions, and he ended his long message noting, “if anyone deserves to be celebrated it’s you, Gwyneth.”
It was, to put it mildly, swoon-worthy. But to Paltrow, it was just another example of how she’s living the dream with her partner — something she hopes others find inspiration in.
“I think (it's) wonderful for people who had a marriage or a relationship that didn't work out to understand that it's really possible to meet your dream man halfway through your life,” she said.
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But she's not only focusing on love these days — she also has sex on her mind.
Paltrow just released a six-part Netflix series called “Sex, Love & Goop," and speaking of Goop, her lifestyle brand launched a new line of sexual-wellness products at the same time.
"What's happening is the realization that sexual wellness and shame-free sexuality is a really important pillar in your overall wellness," Paltrow said of her current focus.
But when she's back home, around the two teenagers she shares with ex-husband Chris Martin — Apple, 17, and Moses, 15 — she doesn't focus on that topic too much. And not because it's inappropriate.
She just knows her audience.
"Teenagers I think in general don't want to have conversations about sex with their mom," she noted with a smile. "So it's not something that I lead with at the breakfast table."