The TV host, who got engaged to Jack Cockings in August, joked that some people expect women to "wake up unattractive" once they reach middle age.
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"I love being in my 40s. It's a great time in my life right now and I'm engaged to an amazing man. But I was happy before my fiancé Jack came along, too," Sykes told The Sun.
"I'd been single for three months and I was very happy. We met on Twitter. He liked my silly tweets and my profile picture but he didn't know who I was - he'd never seen me on telly before.
"A lot has been made of Jack's age - he's 26 - but I always go for younger men. I'm very silly and you don't tend to meet that many 40-year-old men who want to lark around.
"For me, sexiness isn't about what you put on. When a woman wears confidence, that's all she needs to look good. And confidence comes with age.
"Now I'm in my 40s I don't feel obligated to do things I don't want to do. I've got to the point where I know my own mind. I'm just more content now. I think that being happy with how you look is sexier than a line-free face."
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