She’s been in the spotlight since the mid ’80s, when So Macho hit the charts. And 40 years on, former pop star Sinitta looks better than ever.
When Closer catches up with the singer, she’s fizzing with energy, despite the fact she gets up at the crack of dawn. By 8am, she’s already done a tough workout in 95°F heat and ticked off a series of ‘little rituals’ designed to boost her wellbeing.
‘I’ve always been a health nut,’ Sinitta, 61, tells Closer. ‘I get up at 5am and take probiotic supplement Symprove, drink an espresso cup of fresh lime with hot water, and take a teaspoon of black seed oil. It doesn’t taste pleasant, but I think it’s amazing. Then I put sea moss gel into my herbal tea. I also drink 1.5 litres of water.’
In addition, Sinitta takes vitamin D, and every other day she injects a NAD supplement into her thigh, which is said to help with energy production, metabolism and slow down the ageing process.
‘The needles are tiny,’ explains Sinitta, who recently teamed up with ’80s icons Toyah Willcox and Martin Kemp to celebrate White Stuff’s 40th birthday. ‘It does sting a bit, but it’s a micro dose. By the time I hit my workout class at 6.30am, I’m hydrated and energised.’
And she certainly needs that energy. Sinitta has been touring with Chicago and Now That’s What I Call A Musical, plus she’s working on Sin-R, a company developing upcoming artists. ‘It’s going to give Simon Cowell a run for his money,’ she laughs.
When it comes to keeping fit, Sinitta alternates Pilates classes with The Tracey Anderson Method, which has a star-studded following, including J.Lo. ‘The class is hard enough, but the studio is heated like a sauna,’ she says. ‘You’re working out and sweating profusely at the same time, but you feel incredible afterwards and your skin is glowing. By 8am I’m in the car, heading home, when everyone else is just getting started.’
Sinitta’s diet is also a well-rehearsed routine. She avoids sugar and gluten, and eats plenty of fish and veg. ‘I enjoy porridge, it’s so tasty and filling,’ she says. ‘I do need to up my protein, so I’m planning to take a protein powder mixed with almond milk.’
Meanwhile, Sinitta reveals she’s glowing on the inside too due to the mystery man she’s been dating since 2023.
‘I was single for so long, I wasn’t sure I had room for someone in my life,’ she says. ‘But he’s a dream and a complete gentleman. He’s northern, earthy and a lot of fun. We’re enjoying nice date nights and, if anything, I’m probably the calm one. He’s a bit crazy! I could have stayed at home reading books for 20 years, but he gets me out and about, and he’s always up for anything. He has great energy.’
Sinitta’s partner is also popular with her children, Magdalena, 19, and Zac, 18, who she adopted with her ex, Andy Willner. ‘It was my son who said, “Mum, you need to get a boyfriend, you can’t be on your own all the time,”’ she laughs. ‘I was shocked, because I thought the kids liked having me to themselves, but he told me I should be out, having fun and dressing up. They like me being extrovert.’
One look at Sinitta’s wardrobe, and it’s clear how extrovert she is. Her iconic outfits include her yellow Muscle Beach cropped tee, plus her infamous banana leaf dress, which she debuted on The X Factor in 2009 alongside ex and best pal Simon Cowell.
‘I’ve kept all my outfits,’ she laughs. ‘Apart from the dress, which was made from real leaves.’
Earlier this month, she celebrated ’80s fashion in style when she headed to White Stuff’s HQ with fellow singing legends Martin Kemp and Toyah Willcox.
Together the trio manned the phones, taking orders for the brand’s Rewind ’85 collection, which is a remake of the original line of sweats and tees created in 1985.
‘It was like a class reunion,’ laughs Sinitta. ‘Toyah is tiny and absolutely lovely. Martin is just gorgeous, he’s even more handsome now than he was.’
Like her ’80s counterparts, Sinitta looks better than ever, and is remarkably wrinkle free. One thing she won’t be touching, however, are fillers.
‘Before lockdown my weight plummeted after a family disaster,’ she says. ‘I looked skeletal and people kept asking if I was OK, so I had a load of fillers. When I gained weight again in lockdown, I looked like I’d swallowed a balloon. It was so distorted, and I had six months of treatment to dissolve the fillers. It was really bad.’
Now, Sinitta sticks to quality skincare (she’s set to launch her own brand) and she swears by double cleansing. ‘You need to protect your skin, I’ve been really careful since the early ’90s,’ she says.
‘I use factor 50 every day, even in winter, and I wear a sun visor, even in the car. People used to laugh at me on the beach in Barbados because I looked like Darth Vader, but the sun can be so damaging.’
Shop White Stuff’s Rewind ’85 collection in store or online now at www.whitestuff.com/rewind85_shop.