10 Celebrities who have lied about their age from Mila Kunis to Paloma Faith

In the entertainment industry, age is more than just a number – it’s part of the package.

For some, it can be the difference between scoring that role, playing the lead, or making that hit song.

So it’s no surprise that stars have lied about their age (and admitted it!), whether that was to seem younger or older than they actually are.

From red carpets to magazine covers, sometimes getting that big breakthrough comes with a little creative math.

It’s a trick as old as fame itself, where image is everything while the cameras are rolling. 

From Mila Kunis to Paloma Faith, here, the Daily Mail take a look at the stars who have lied about their age.

Mila Kunis 

Mila Kunis lied about her age when she landed her breakout role as Jackie Burkhart on That ’70s Show.

She was just 14 years old at the time, but initially told the casting directors she was 18 to audition.

‘There’s a rumour going around that I may or may not have lied about my age,’ Mila told Variety. ‘I’d like to make it very clear now that I did lie, I did.’

The star, now 42, said she had signed a contract before the job, and she put an asterisk for ‘studio teacher’.

She continued: ‘They were like, ‘What do you mean?’ And I was like, “Oh P.S., I’m 14.”

‘But at that point if you talk to the creators, they were like, ‘We loved you at that point so what did we care?”

Paloma Faith 

Paloma Faith previously admitted to keeping her age a secret from her fans.

The singer, 44, knocked four years off her actual age when first starting out in the music industry.

In 2021, she revealed in the iPaper: ‘I always knew that my age was going to be an issue – especially as a female artist.

‘I was 27 when I put my first record out, but I told my label I was 23.’

Sharing why she decided to be honest about her age, she added: ‘My plan had been to get to a certain level of success and then have a conversation about my age, but I was forced to do it sooner because someone kept changing my Wikipedia page.

Laverne Cox

Laverne Cox, 53, started lying about her age when she was 28 after being dumped by her 21-year-old boyfriend at the time for ‘being too old’.

During a chat with Ellen DeGeneres, said she had fears about whether she would be ‘hireable’ or ‘dateable’ if people knew her true age.

‘I was 28 years old and I was dating a guy that was 21 and he broke up with me because he said I was too old,’ she told host. ‘And I was like, ‘Oh, if I’m too old, I’ll just be 22.’

For the next few years, the star told everyone she was 22 when asked, but when she reached a point where she felt uncomfortable lying.

In 2019, IMDB ‘figured out’ her date of birth and published it.

She finally declared her age publicly, and despite her fears, the reaction to her real age was actually ‘like nothing’.

‘It was a reminder that, in our heads, we might have shame about something and it’s, like, terrible and awful … and no one really cares,’ Laverne said. 

Kaye Adams

Kaye Adams admitted she has lied about her age for decades.

The Loose Women star celebrated her 60th birthday two years ago during a luxurious beach holiday with her family in Spain.

But it turns out that she had hidden her real age from some family members, as she thought her true age was ‘unthinkable’.

Writing in the Daily Mail, Kaye admitted: ‘Because for most of my life being open about my age had been unthinkable.

‘Fortunately, Ian, who knew full well how old I am, is incredibly laid back and just shrugged off what could easily amount to an insult in some men’s eyes.

‘I, too, believed my behaviour was harmless, something many women did in a society that tries to write us off once we reach a ‘certain age’.’

Kaye, 62, also said she even lied to her children about how old she was. 

‘Since my 30s I had dodged, deflected or outright lied when the subject came up – even to my own children, Charly, now 23, and Bonnie, 18.’ she admitted.

‘In fact, for years they believed I was a whole decade younger than I actually was.’

‘I’d never given Charly a specific date of birth, but I had claimed her dad – my partner Ian – was ten years my senior, when actually we were both born in 1962.’

Shirley Henderson

Shirley Henderson managed to get the role of a 14-year-old ghost in Harry Potter, despite being 37 at the time.

The actress, 60, is best known for her role as Moaning Myrtle in the movie franchise.

While the character may have been just 14, Shirley was in her late thirties when she auditioned for the role in The Chamber of Secrets.

She revealed that her technique was to look the part of a young girl and not mention her real age. 

In an interview with the Independent, she said: ‘The casting director said, ‘Go for it – and don’t mention your age’. 

She added that she thinks she managed to get away with the age difference due to the fact that her character was a wispy ghost. 

Nadine Coyle 

Nadine Coyle lied about her age to compete on the TV talent show Derry Girls in 2001.

At the time, the singer was 16, but the minimum age requirement to take part was 18.

In a famous clip, she accidentally let her real date of birth slip and said: ‘Date of birth is the fifteenth of the sixth ’85, making me a Gemini.’

The singer, now 40, pretended to search for her passport when asked to prove her age.

She was eventually sent home after admitting what she had done.

Speaking to Gay Times in 2023, the Girls Aloud opened up about her reaction to the now infamous clip.

She said: ‘Whenever I look at it, I think, ‘Oh my gosh, I really wish that I had known how to do makeup better’, because who knew that that was going to be around for all of eternity? 

‘I was still doing the concealer, lipstick thing – no blending, no foundation, no highlighters.

‘That’s really what I think, it’s the pure vanity of it all. I’m like, ‘Oh, I can’t even look at it, I can’t even look’.’

Hilary Duff

In 2015, Hilary Duff, now 38, revealed that she had lied about her age during her teens.

When asked if she had ever fibbed regarding her age, the Lizzie McGuire star told Time Magazine: ‘I used to lie about my age to get into clubs and stuff.’

She continued: ‘I was pretty well-known by the time I was trying to get into clubs, and they would just let me in anyway.’

The star also revealed that her older sister Hailey helped her get into over-21 venues.  

She added: ‘I think I had my sister’s old ID … I can’t even remember having to use it. Who knows.’ 

Sandra Bullock

Sandra Bullock is said to have lied about her age to get the part of Diane Farrow in the 1992 film Love Potion No. 9.

She told the truth shortly thereafter during an interview with Barbara Walters that the people behind this rom-com were reportedly after someone who is 29 years old to play biologist Diane Farrow. 

At the time was just a year or two too young for the role at the time but managed to convince the filmmakers that she was the right age. 

Sandra told Detour magazine: ‘After a while, you really have no idea how old you are because you’ve lied so many times. 

‘I always said I would never lie, but one time when I didn’t, it worked against me. 

‘So I figure you just keep them guessing.

Eminem

Eminem is proving that women in the public eye are not the only ones lying about their age.

The rapper, 53, told American shock-jock Howard Stern that he was 24 during one of his early interviews in 1999.

However, records showed that little Marshall Mathers was born in 1972, making him 27 at the time.

James Blunt

In 2023, James Blunt admitted he changed his Wikipedia page so it said he is younger than his real age.

The pop singer apparently tinkered with the online encyclopedia so it states he is two years younger than he actually is.

‘If you look at my Wikipedia page, it will say that I’m 47 – I’m actually 49,’ Blunt told the Guardian at the time. 

‘That’s because I changed the entry.’

At the time of writing, James’s Wikipedia page states he’s 51 years old.