At 76, the 'All My Children' actress says she does Pilates every morning
Susan Lucci recalls her ‘widow maker’ heart attack scare: ‘I probably wouldn’t have gotten up’
Susan Lucci recalls her "widow maker" heart attack scare. The "All My Children" soap opera icon is the ambassador for the American Heart Association.
Susan Lucci cannot stop time, but she can control how much more of it she invests into her acting career.
The "All My Children" actress, who was just honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmy's, says slowing down is not on her horizon.
"That word is a dirty word to me," she told Entertainment Tonight of retirement.
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Although she just won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmy Awards, actress Susan Lucci has no plans to retire. (Getty Images)
This is not a new proclamation from Lucci. She previously abolished any narrative that she might stop working a few years ago. "Retirement is not even in my vocabulary," she told Closer Weekly in 2018. "I have never had a desire to slow down…I love to keep learning, growing, and challenging myself with new experiences," she said.
"I’d love going back to Broadway. I loved doing ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ and I’ve been offered other [stage productions] but it just hasn’t been the right thing," she admitted.
The actress has remained dedicated to her work, even after undergoing two serious heart procedures - one in 2018 after narrowly avoiding a massive heart attack and a second in 2022.
Susan Lucci in 1999 after winning her first Daytime Emmy Award, left, and Lucci in 2023 winning the Lifetime Achievement Award. (Getty Images)
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Fitness is also top of mind for Lucci, who always makes time for Pilates. When asked how she has been able to maintain her radiance, Lucci quipped, "You should have seen my mother."
"I think genes and a good dermatologist are a help," Lucci added. She is also rigorous with her workout routine. "I do Pilates every morning, and I'm recently learning a little yoga and some breathing," she told ET.
Susan Lucci attributes her physique to doing Pilates. (Michael Buckner/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images)
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"I love to work out first thing in the morning," she previously told Women's Health. "Because then I know no matter what happens for the rest of the day, I have done something really good for myself."
In an interview given to Harper's Bazaar, Lucci shared, "I feel as good now as I ever did in my 20s and 30s, maybe even better physically."
Susan Lucci as Erica Kane on the long-running soap opera "All My Children." ( ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Lucci also believes that implementing fitness into her routine has naturally impacted her eating habits. Still rocking a svelte frame, Lucci said, "Once I started doing Pilates, I lost my taste for things like cheeseburgers and french fries." She added, "Within weeks, I suddenly only craved food that was good for me."
"I rarely eat dessert, never snack, and I don’t eat a lot of bread and pasta." When she travels to Europe, Lucci says exceptions are made.
Caroline Thayer is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Follow Caroline Thayer on Twitter at @carolinejthayer. Story tips can be sent to
