Candice Bergen says the idea of turning 80 is still difficult to process.
The Murphy Brown star, who will celebrate the milestone birthday in May, admitted in a recent interview that she would rather not think about it at all.
“Oh God. Oy. I’m in denial,” Bergen told Movies For Grownups. “I’m just in total denial. I don’t even want to talk about it. Being 80 is just unfathomable to me.”
Despite the looming birthday, Bergen said she largely feels the same as she always has.
“You feel the same,” she explained. “Except maybe you walk a little bit slower and more carefully because you don’t want to fall. So stepping off a curb is a big event for me now.”
Bergen maintains a regular workout routine, training with a fitness coach five days a week. She said the sessions mostly focus on strength training rather than heavy cardio.
The actress joked that the goal of the workouts is simply to keep her moving and healthy.
“I said today, ‘You’re just trying to keep me alive, right?’” she said.
Looking back, Bergen said her perspective on aging has changed over time. Her father died at 75, and she once believed that age represented a full life.
Now at 79, she sees things differently and hopes to be present for more milestones in her family.
Bergen said she looks forward to attending her grandson’s high school graduation and, if possible, her granddaughter’s as well.
