I was told I looked ‘old’ at 29 – it sparked a £18k-a-year obsession that’s cost me my car and holidays… I can’t stop

SITTING in the make-up chair, 29-year-old model Katrina Verdon-Roe froze in horror as the artist pointed at her face – and brazenly declared she looked old. 

It was a moment that would forever change how Katrina, now 62, saw herself — and it would cost her dearly. 

Triggered by a deep insecurity, the mum-of-two went on to sell her car, give up holidays and shop for groceries on a budget to fund an £18,000 a YEAR quest to remain youthful. 

“Throughout my twenties, I was lucky enough to work as a model,” she explains. 

“Sitting in the chair of one make-up artist while on a job, she peered at me and announced to anyone within earshot, ‘Wow! You’re looking old around your eyes’. I was only 29. 

“The bloody woman then pointed out exactly why I was showing signs of ageing.  

“She brutally informed me that the hollow indentation running from the inner corner of my eye down to my cheek, known as tear troughs, were very noticeable and were ageing my face. 

“I was appalled — and petrified.” 

It set Katrina on a lifelong battle to halt the hands of time by investing in “tweakments” such as fillers, Botox and microneedling. 

Over the past decade, she has spent an incredible £18,000 annually trying to delay the ageing process, admitting: “I have literally thrown the kitchen sink at my face and body to look youthful.” 

But is this sheer, mindless vanity or is something else at play? 

Experts believe it is the latter and have even coined a term for it. 

Midorexia — a growing obsession with staying young and avoiding visible signs of ageing — is a relatively recent phenomenon driven by the fear of looking older. 

And in Britain, it is surging. 

I’ve raised my children and paid for their private education. It’s now my money to spend how I want

Katrina Verdon-Roe

The UK anti-ageing market is already worth around £2.8billion, fuelled by women chasing youth earlier than ever. 

Today, we typically start our anti-ageing routine at just 25, compared to our mum’s generation, which didn’t worry until their late forties, one study claims. 

Other research points to the “relentless” pressure to look youthful, with 47 per cent of women confessing that ageing “stresses” them out. More than half of those polled admitted they worry others will notice. 

And the anxiety only ramps up as we grow older: among midlife females, three-quarters worry about how they are ageing. 

Women in the UK like Katrina are not niche — almost six in ten (59 per cent) are using skincare to fight the signs of ageing. 

Unsurprisingly, a massive 86 per cent say celebrities pile on the pressure to look young. 

If midorexia has a famous face, it belongs to perceived beauty icons such as Kris Jenner, Demi Moore and Liz Hurley, who still looks great modelling bikinis at 60.  

Kris, 70, last year insisted the six-figure facelift she had was “my version” of ageing gracefully — with reports she has spent hundreds of thousands in her decades-long bid to stay youthful.  

Meanwhile, Demi regularly provides female columnists with catty headlines when she shows up on the red carpet looking decades younger than her 63 years.

But it is not just a Hollywood obsession. Canadian comedian Katherine Ryan, 42, who lives in London, openly champions tweakments, with a “fix it if you can” attitude. 

And Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden, 55, insists she has just “freshened up” — despite a seemingly ageless glow.  

Together, they reflect a culture where it is not as simple as ageing being accepted — it is managed, corrected and, increasingly, feared. 

Katrina, now a business development manager, earns £60,000 a year and lives in a three-bedroom home in Wimbledon, southwest London. Yet she has had to make cutbacks because her anti-ageing regime comes first. 

She says: “To fund this, three years ago I sold ‘Bumble’, my diesel VW Tiguan, for £2,000, I only shop at Lidl and I don’t go on holidays any more.  

“As for clothes, if I’m bored of something, I sell it on eBay and pick up amazing outfits in charity shops.  

“If I need to replace any household items, my go-to is Facebook Marketplace or Freecycle. I only get my hair cut once every six months and I’ve cut out booze.” 

Katrina defends prioritising her appearance, explaining: “I had breast cancer five years ago and I told myself I was going to put myself first from now on. 

“I’ve raised my children and paid for their private education. It’s now my money to spend how I want.” 

‘The daily routine is quite a commitment’ 

This is why Katrina regularly has fillers, Botox and microneedling. 

Every morning and every evening, her routine is non-negotiable. 

“My Opatra device, which takes 30 minutes, has made the most difference,” she says. “It uses red-light therapy to reduce blemishes, lines and wrinkles.  

“I was lucky enough to buy it at a discount, paying £1,600 at the Mind Body Spirit Fair at Olympia in London. It costs five times that in top stores. 

“It’s worth every penny. I use mine day and night, without fail. Many women can do this, but most of my friends can’t be bothered with the daily routine. It is quite a commitment.”  

Every other day, Katrina also uses an infrared mask. She “pats and taps” her face when she washes it with a foam cleanser.  

Her kids also know to gift her high-end beauty products at Christmas and birthdays. 

Then there is the castor oil and organic coconut oil she slathers over her body. “The washing machine is constantly on because it causes my pyjamas and bed sheets to get greasy,” she admits. 

All this, Katrina believes, leaves her with “glowy” skin. 

But even she reckons there are some products that are not worth her dosh. 

I was in the sauna at my local gym last week. The other women were shocked when I told them I was 62

Katrina

She says: “I recently tried a bit of Creme de La Mer. It costs £360 a pot. My verdict was you’d have to use a lot of it for it to make any difference.” 

That said, after years of pampering and tweakments, a difference is precisely what Katrina can see. “My reflection is much better than it was three years ago,” she says.

“I put that down to my Opatra facial massage handheld device. And I joke that I will be buried with my LED mask. 

“It cost me £250 and I use it between treatments as it encourages collagen production.  

“People often say my skin looks incredible as a result.”

But not everything works so well.

“Earlier this year, I had a microneedling treatment which left my skin red and inflamed, but after a week or so it looked great,” she says. 

“Unfortunately, it isn’t permanent, so I’ll need to do it again. I’ve also had chemical peels on my face, neck, shoulders and hands — all good results, but they don’t last.

“I had to resort to paying over £2,000 to laser away the sun damage from my days in the sun in my twenties.  

“The sun spots do come back without daily sunblock.” 

Katrina says her daughter’s friends are “fascinated” by her dedication to her complexion and always ask for advice. So is it worth it and has Katrina managed to turn back the clock? She believes so. 

“I was in the sauna at my local gym last week. The other women were shocked when I told them I was 62. 

“They thought I was 48-50.  

“I walked out that day with a skip in my step.  

“I do have smooth skin and my lines really are barely there. They’re not furrowed any more. 

“People often say my skin looks ‘incredible’ as a result.” 

Katrina knows she is stuck on this treadmill for life and firmly blames celebrities for the trend of trying to beat ageing.  

“Obviously, women like Kris Jenner have really upped the stakes for women of my generation,” she says. 

“But a complete facelift like hers is no walk in the park.  

“I’ll try all the tricks of the trade, but I won’t do that.  

“While Kris looks incredible now, will she look as good in a year?”