Is going grey the secret to looking YOUNGER? As A-listers, from Olivia Colman to Andie MacDowell, embrace their natural silver hair colour, how ditching dye 'could take years off you', say experts

Olivia Colman's signature brunette pixie cut, the hairstyle the British actress has come back to time and time again over her stellar career, was nowhere to be seen at her latest red-carpet appearance.The Oscar winner, 52, wearing an elegant white dress by Celine at the Zurich Film Festival screening of her new film Wicker, revealed a softer look that was more pre-Raphaelite than pixie, with tousled curls side-swept over her left shoulder.But it wasn't so much the longer hair that was the most striking aspect of her new look, it was the shade of her new do – because it embraces a concept Hollywood has a difficult relationship with... women ageing.Ms Colman's tumbling curls were distinctly salt-and-pepper, with the actress apparently now embracing her greying hair.And she's far from the only leading lady who's leaning into their natural hair colour as they get older. Earlier in the week Andie MacDowell, 68, wore silver locks carefully pinned up in self-grip rollers in a promotion for L'Oreal in Paris.The actress, famous for her roles in Groundhog Day and Four Weddings and a Funeral, was deep in conversation with Jane Fonda, 88, whose silver hair was styled in a jaunty tousled bob. Olivia Colman at the Zurich Film Festival this week... she has become the latest celebrity to lean into natural greying hair The Wonka star, 52, has largely been faithful to a brunette pixie crop (seen here last year at the premiere for The Roses in Leicester Square), but the tumbling salt-and-pepper curls of her new look have been widely praisedAway from the film industry, it's mere mortals too; the Instagram account Grombre, described as 'a radical celebration of the natural phenomenon of grey hair', has 277,000 followers.Curl and textured hair stylist Callum Ashely Townsend says seeing Olivia Colman on the red carpet with a different look shows attitudes to grey hair are changing – and leaning into your natural colour could actually make you look younger.The hairdresser, an ambassador for Bellissima Italia styling tools, told the Daily Mail: 'We’re seeing more women embrace their natural colour, and Olivia shows just how sophisticated and modern it can look.'It completely transforms her look. The natural grey look embodies a powerful stance on natural beauty and the chic appearance of natural hair at any age. It’s a really beautiful example of how embracing grey can look effortlessly elegant.'Stylist Neville Tucker, who styled both Queen Elizabeth's hair and Queen Camilla’s, agrees, telling the Daily Mail the new length coupled with the silver streaks has taken years off Ms Colman. How can you help greying hair shine? 'Keeping the texture defined and polished is key', says Townsend.'A curl diffuser can be a great styling tool, helping to gently dry, define and enhance curls while keeping the hair looking soft and radiant. It’s an easy way to create that effortless, diffused finish at home.'Dame Helen Mirren Dyeing your hair is 'boring and expensive', Dame Helen Mirren said in 2021 Being blonde is a bonus if you want to embrace greying, the actress has said - because it's more of a gentle transitionThe veteran English actress, 81, has paved the way for younger generations of famous faces to embrace their grey hair. The star, who has appeared in The Queen, Calendar Girls and Gosford Park, first began letting her natural hair colour shine around 2010, in her mid sixties. Wearing her natural colour has proved a shrewd career move for the star; Dame Helen is a brand ambassador for L’Oreal Paris and has walked the runway celebrating her striking hair colour.Speaking to Vogue in 2021, the star admitted that not reaching for the peroxide hadn't been a difficult decision. Dame Helen said: 'I have to say it was very easy for me because my hair was always blonde. I was a natural blonde and although it was quite dark at times, in the summertime when I’d spent time in the sun, it would basically go white.' She called the process of having her hair coloured professionally 'boring and expensive' and praised others who'd followed a similar route, saying: 'The women of my age who have made the leap recently look so spectacular.'Sarah Jessica Parker Responding to comments about silver streaks in her famous blonde locks, Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker's frustrations were clear, as she told Vogue: ‘Gray hair, gray hair, gray hair. Does she have gray hair?’ I don’t know what to tell you, people.' SJP at the height of her Sex and the City fame with her co-stars - and blonde highlighted curls The 61-year-old Sex and the City star has raged against comments made about her looks, including the greying of her famously blonde hair.While promoting And Just Like That, the revival and sequel to the HBO series that gave her the defining role of her career, Parker didn't shy away from showing off her changing hair hue. Appearing on the cover of Vogue, she was canid with the magazine about being on the receiving end of such scrutiny: ‘Gray hair, gray hair, gray hair. Does she have gray hair?’ I don’t know what to tell you, people.'The star added: 'It almost feels as if people don’t want us to be perfectly okay with where we are, as if they almost enjoy us being pained by who we are today, whether we choose to age naturally and not look perfect, or whether you do something if that makes you feel better.'Elizabeth McGovern Elizabeth McGovern has called out questions about her looks, saying that male stars wouldn't face the same scrutiny The actress, 65, pictured with brunette hair at Richmond Theatre in 2015Back in 2022, US actress Elizabeth McGovern appeared on the red carpet in London's Leicester Square for the premiere of Downton Abbey: A New Era. The actress, now 65, who played Cora Crawley in the hit series and subsequent film franchise, switched up her old brunette style for a more natural look - and was highly praised for it. Like Sarah Jessica Parker, she's also been unafraid to question why Hollywood is so obsessed with women trying to stay youthful. McGovern told Tonic magazine: 'I can’t tell you how many times I’m interviewed, and the first question is about plastic surgery, or ‘How do you feel about making a statement with your grey hair?’'It’s like, "Would you ask a guy any of these questions? No!" No, there are other things. Life is full of other things.'Andie MacDowell Youthful: Andie MacDowell cuts a striking figure earlier this month in Paris; her multi-tonal hair is a masterclass in how to style greying hair Wearing her trademark brunette curls - but does the star look younger now she's embraced the grey? (Pictured in Hollywood in 2019)Could Olivia Colman have been inspired by Andie MacDowell's perfect curls? The 68-year-old has long been happy to grow old gracefully eschewing brunette from a bottle.Along with Helen Mirren and Jane Fonda, MacDowell is also a brand ambassador for L'Oreal Paris and has frequently appeared on the runway for the company's Walk Your Worth show in the French capital. Like Queen Letizia of Spain, the actress first showed off her natural hair colour during the global pandemic - and was fully silver by the time she appeared at the Cannes Film Festival in July 2021.She's worn it every which way since, including sleek blowdries and her signature curls. MacDowell told Vogue in 2021: 'Once I did it, it was just so clear to me that my instincts were right, because I’ve never felt more powerful. I feel more honest. I feel like I’m not pretending. I feel like I’m embracing right where I am. I feel really comfortable.'Queen Letizia of Spain Queen Letizia of Spain showed off a striking grey sweep of her hair back in 2023 but the Spanish royal, 54, has since dyed her again intermittently The royal pictured earlier this month, with her grey hair largely now covered up with hair dyeThe Spanish Queen, who has lived most of her adult life in the spotlight, has let ageing happen naturally when it comes to her hair colour. The 54-year-old wife of King Felipe VI is regularly seen with strands of silver in her dark brown hair, showing the royal is comfortable with letting the world see her natural colour.During the Covid pandemic of 2020, when the Spanish royals were forced to quarantine, Queen Letizia was seen wearing her Covid mask and with her hair greying.In the years since, the mother of Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, has gone for a bolder look, appearing in 2023 at a journalism seminar in Logroño, northern Spain with a flash of grey on the right side of her tumbling brunette hair. Salma Hayek Mexican American star Salma Hayek has previously told her followers on social media, she's 'proud of my white hair' (Pictured at Wimbledon in 2026)Actress and film producer Hayek, who celebrated her 60th birthday this year, has confidently ditched the dye in recent years, with her long brown hair frequently seen with glints of silver in it. Hayek, who is married to billionaire François-Henri Pinault, has allowed her natural roots to show for a while, with a sophisticated silver sweep framing her face during an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. And at Wimbledon in July, the star cut a similarly glamourous figure on Centre Court, with natural streaks of white seen in her hair. Last year, the Mexican American star shared a photo of her looking relaxed at the beach with tousled, natural hair with her 29.2million followers on Instagram, adding the hashtag #proudofmywhitehair.Jamie Lee Curtis Signature crop...in white! Jamie Lee Curtis has often confessed her devotion to shorter hair, saying 'it gives me the freedom to exist with no make up and very little fuss'While Olivia Colman has changed the length of her hair, Jamie Lee Curtis has largely stayed faithful to the pixie cut that she's favoured since shooting to fame in A Fish Called Wanda in 1998. The actress, 67, has remained playful with her hair though, recently sporting a dyed blonde bob for her appearance in Scarpetta, the series based on Patricia Cornwell’s best-selling crime novels.Referencing how important her hair is to her, she told her followers on Instagram last year that her pixie cut remains her favourite style, whatever the colours. Lee Curtis said: ‘When I have my hair cut the way I love it and the way it suits me, it gives me the freedom to exist with no make up and very little fuss. It gives me a confidence that I never had in my life.’ Emma Thompson Emma Thompson has become the queen of the 'greige lights' in recent years after turning her back on peroxide (Pictured last year in London)English acting royalty, Emma Thompson has frequently sported 'greige lights' –blending grey and beige highlights – as her hair has transitioned. The star has showed how salt-and-pepper hair isn't a two-colour look, embracing multi-tonal shades.At the premiere of Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, which addresses female sexuality in later years, the then 63-year-old star, wearing her 'greige lights'. Discussing the film's themes, she said in 2022: 'The human body is not honestly represented on screen, pretty much ever, and especially not in my industry'.Jane Fonda Looking great at 88! Jane Fonda is a L'Oriel Paris Brand Ambassador and made the decision to stop dying her hair in 2020 The campaigner pictured with blonde hair - the star was hesistant about going grey permanently with celebrity hairdresser Jack Martin eventually trusted with the jobSeemingly forever blonde Jane Fonda, now 88 and also a L'Oreal Paris Brand Ambassador, turned her back on peroxide, like many other stars, during the pandemic. The actress and campaigner debuted her silver hair at the Oscars in 2022, stepping on stage with her new look to present the Academy Award for Best Picture. However, the appearance was very much high maintenance grey, with celebrity hairdresser, Jack Martin, using bleach to ensure her hair toned perfectly with the actress' roots. Revealing how he created the look, colourist Martin told Vogue that the path to grey hadn't been easy, saying: 'Jane Fonda had wanted to do silver hair for almost a year, and had tried many colourists in London, New York, Beverly Hills… But they always ended up leaving it very brassy.' He added: 'So she assigned her team with the task of finding a good colourist who could do it well. They later told me that every time they saw a good grey transformation in their research, it had my name on it.'