Bikini-wearing Boohoo shopper ‘charmed by toyboys’

CARRON BURLEY walks to the pool bar in a shiny gold size 38 string bikini and long brown hair cascading down her perfectly toned back. She feels all eyes on her.

While she waits for the bartender to mix her a mango daiquiri, a twentysomething asks if he can buy her the drink, or even dinner. Carron, however, is old enough to be his mother.

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She politely declines the offer and points to her husband, who is waiting for her on the other side of the pool.

She then tells her admirer that she is actually a 58-year-old grandmother of two and step-grandmother of one.

“Men never believe how old I am, they’re always convinced I turn them on,” Carron says, speaking exclusively to Fabulous.

“But I’m proud of being such a hot guy and I do my best to stay in shape.

“I’m proud that I’m still the same size I was when I was 18, and that was 40 years ago.”

While other women her age put all their energy into fighting the symptoms of menopause, Carron uses her energy to always look her best.

With such an incredible figure, it’s hard to believe she already has two adult children, aged 35 and 31, from a previous marriage.

Carron says: “I don’t know what shocks people more – that I’m a tanned, muscular 58-year-old grandmother in a bikini or that my eldest child is 35.

“I run twenty-five miles a week, work out, swim and garden for hours to keep in shape.”

The part-time nurse, who works in a hospital, lives with her plasterer husband Ray Clough (69) near Sheffield, South Yorks, in a four-bedroom barn conversion.

“People ask me all the time how I keep myself so fit and youthful,” Carron adds.

“That’s easy, lots of exercise, body lotion from the pond shop and great sex. You have to work at it or you’ll lose it.

“I still shop at Next, Topshop, Boohoo and all the trendy stores. I will never wear a twinset and pearls again. I still fit into the same size clothes as I did when I was a teenager.

“I love my bikinis. I love wearing short skirts and showing off my tan. When you dress old, you look old,” she insists.

But Carron admits her training regime originally came from tragedy, not by choice.

She met her first husband, Mick, then 34, the father of her children, through work when she was 19 and they welcomed their first daughter in September 1989, followed by their son in March 1994.

“I was busy working and raising our children and only went to the gym occasionally,” Carron explains.

“I married Mick fourteen years after we met, when I was 33.”

I had to keep paying the bills, grieve my husband’s death and be a good mother. I didn’t eat and lost weight to just six and a half stone which was so unhealthy and small. I tried to keep it all together

Carron Burley, 58

But during their first year of marriage, Mick was diagnosed with lymphoma, a form of blood cancer that attacks the immune system. Tragically, he passed away that same year.

At the age of 34, Carron was suddenly widowed.

“I was devastated. My whole world changed,” she recalls.

“I had to keep paying the bills, grieve the death of my husband and be a good mother. I didn’t eat and lost weight to just 6.5 stone, which was so unhealthy and small. I was trying to keep it all together.”

A year later, a friend of Carron’s encouraged her to join her at the gym to take her mind off her grief.

She says: “I never saw myself as a fitness freak. I didn’t understand what people were so excited about.

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“My friend took me and I loved it. It saved my life and gave me a new drive.

“She also suggested that I should start running. I loved that too. Running became my special ‘my time’. It helped with my sadness, made me fitter and gave me more energy.”

Carron says she and Ray literally met “over the garden fence” in 2007.

She says: “I moved in next door to Ray with my two children.

Ray and I have a great love life. The key is to stay fit, have sex at least three times a week and enjoy each other’s bodies.

Carron Burley, 58

“But for two years we never met.”

In 2009, Carron messaged Ray through the Dating Direct app and they hit it off immediately.

She says: “We had a cup of coffee together and we clicked straight away.

“We started a relationship and in 2012 we decided to move in together.

“I loved that he was into rallying, and he got me into it too. He also plays in a rock band and runs his own business, which I admire.”

They married in May 2019 in Barbados.

Carron says: “Ray is a breath of fresh air for me and I adore him.

“He thought I was out of his league when I started dating him. My dating profile said I was into tall, dark-haired men, but Ray is stocky and blond. We fell for each other right away.

It’s not a chore for me. I love exercise. It’s helped me through the worst times of my life and if I don’t exercise I can turn into a grumpy old cow

Karon, 58

“He was divorced and helped me find the joy in dating again after I became a widow.”

Carron has no intention of blurring her appearance and only exercises one day a week.

“It’s not a chore for me. I love exercise. It’s helped me through the worst times of my life and if I don’t exercise I can turn into a grumpy old cow,” she says.

And Carron also says she has no regrets about her breast augmentation surgery, which took her from a size 32A to a size 36D.

“I was super skinny; my breasts were non-existent and I was muscular from the workout. I had the breast augmentation for myself and no one else,” she insists.

“The surgery gave me more energy and I am happy with my breasts and my overall shape.”

I tell other grandmas and moms that you can have a fit body and look good in your late 50s or 60s

Cardboard

To maintain her youthful appearance, Carron cuts and dyes her hair regularly. Only recently has she experimented with beauty treatments such as Botox and, once, lip filler.

The rest of her beauty comes from washing her face with soap and water and using cheap moisturisers, including SPF from Aldi, Lidl and other supermarkets.

She also sticks to a healthy diet, including grilled fish, lean meats, whole wheat bread and fruit, and enjoys a glass of wine or prosecco.

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While women in their 60s face menopausal symptoms such as weight gain, brain fog and mood swings, Carron says she has hardly experienced any of them herself.

She says: “I started menopause eight years ago. I had some hot flushes and bloating, but I’m lucky that through exercise and a healthy diet I didn’t suffer as much as some women.”

She also says that gardening – despite wearing little clothing when the sun is shining – has helped her defy aging.

She says: “I love the feeling of the earth in my hands. I love tending to my plants and I love the sun on every part of my body. It’s the same when I go for a naked walk with Ray, if it’s hot, I take my clothes off.”

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She adds that regular sex and “enjoying each other’s bodies” is key to combating aging.

“Ray and I have a great love life. We make love at least three times a week and enjoy each other’s bodies,” she explains.

“Ray is in a band and I get to play groupie. We like to get all dressed up for races and parties and just enjoy ourselves.”

However, Carron’s status as a beautiful grandmother also has a downside.

She says: “I was working out at a gym the other day and two guys were staring at me. It was really obnoxious, they were making crude jokes about my age and appearance.”

But Carron refuses to let the critics win and urges other women to follow her example, saying there is no room for laziness.

“Move it or lose it,” she insists.

“I will wear a bikini until I’m old and be a sexy, muscular grandma when I’m 90.”

“I am blessed with a great body, but it takes practice and passion. Ray is a great husband and often tells me that I am aging backwards.

“I tell other grandmas and moms that you can have a fit body and look good no matter what age you are.”

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