Why I've abandoned Botox and finally learned to love getting older, says GB News star Rhiannon Jones

I don’t see nearly as many men my age experimenting with Botox in the fear they will be replaced by a younger, tighter, fresher face. While it is more commonly accepted for men to age gracefully, there is still this underlying pressure on women to remain youthful.

Now in my forties, yes, I have more wrinkles, but I also have more experiences. More experience. I am more accomplished and more confident. I know I am more balanced. Certainly happier. Even – yes - more attractive.

For full transparency, it has taken me some time to get here. To a position of accepting I am indeed, as described by a work colleague recently, a more mature presenter. I too have experimented a few times with injecting my face in an attempt to slow down the inevitable.

Used gently, I appreciate Botox can achieve brilliant results. I have tried to like it but unfortunately – or fortunately – it isn’t for me. I remember all too clearly my husband asking me why I wasn’t smiling properly for a photo? I was. Or at least, I was trying.

I choose to stick with my natural smile. The way it is meant to be. One that reaches my eyes and wrinkles up at the corners. An authentic expression of happiness.

My smile is part of who I am. Crow’s feet and all.

I have come to realise that society’s apparent fixation with how we age detracts from what we, as women, can offer. It undermines our achievements. It belittles our expertise.

I spent my 20s having to show I had the experience. My 30s were spent honing my skills. Now, I find myself proving I am worthy.

Age discrimination in the workplace is very real. It is one of the final frontiers of diversity and inclusion. I have felt it quite sorely at times. Though not at GB News, where true age diversity – hurrah! – is fabulously evident.

I work with many producers, senior producers, and even my boss Sophie Berman, who are several years younger than me.

Our deputy political editor Tom Harwood is 26. Our royal reporter Cameron Walker is 25. Young talent given the opportunity to shine, and they are excelling at an impressive rate.

At the other end of the spectrum, how refreshing to see stars like Anne Diamond and Angela Rippon back on our screens at GB News. They bring with them their charm, charisma, ageless beauty – and decades of experience. Reassuring for the millions of women like me working through our midpoint.

I have made a conscious decision to embrace the natural process of ageing. After all, it brings with it so much more than looks. It breeds confidence, wisdom, ambition, and indeed dreams.

I am done with fighting the inevitability of looking older. I have tried. Age won. Here’s the thing, it always will. And I am a lot happier for accepting that.

For now, the injectables are not for me. There may well be a time when I change my mind, though I hope not.

Ultimately, ageing is a celebration. It is, after all, far preferable to the alternative. Every new wrinkle another year lived. Another milestone. Another smile etched on our faces. So why do we battle against it?

This is by no means a criticism of those who do choose to slow down the process – I have been there, and I get it. It is meant instead as recognition that if you choose not to, you aren’t alone. Nor do I think you are in a minority. Although it can sometimes feel that way these days.

If more of us can resist the temptation to chase youth, perhaps we can start pushing the boundaries of what mainstream society considers beautiful.

So, here’s to recognising the privilege that comes with age – learning to embrace and respect it - and the beauty that it holds.

Oh, and to another decade (or three!) in broadcasting, wrinkles and all.

We are all worthy, so let us celebrate how far we have come and wear our years proudly.