Ali Larter thinks a 64-year-old is sexier than she is

She has been praised for her hot body - but Heroes star Ali Larter thinks a 64-year-old is sexier than she is.

The 31-year-old actress made her stunning comment after being told that she was on Shape's the Sexiest Bodies in Hollywood List.

During an interview with a US fitness magazine, Larter said she was "honoured" but she thinks that singer Nick Lachey's girlfriend Vanessa Minnillo deserves the title and Lauren Hutton who, at 64, is nearly a pensioner.

Larter says: "I'm honored, but you better not look too close [at my body].

"Honestly, sexy isn't just about good looks. Sexy is a beautiful laugh, a great sense of humour and self-assurance.

"If I were voting, I'd say Vanessa Minnillo has the sexiest body.

"She always looks voluptuous and gorgeous when she's photographed on the beach or by a pool wearing a bikini.

"But I also love Lauren Hutton. She's a self-confident woman who can sit next to the president of the United States one day and then go drinking with her motorcycle buddies the next.

"Now that's really sexy."

Larter, who plays Niki Sanders in hit TV series Heroes, is featured on the cover of the March edition of Shape magazine.

Dressed in a pink, crochet, string bikini the cover girl tells readers inside that she has "never been happier than I am right now."

"I think you look more youthful when you're happy," Larter says. "I'm finally comfortable in my own skin."

She then shares the eight fitness and beauty tips that have helped her to get to that point in her life.

Some of her tips are no surprise - exercise and moderate eating - but other revelations prove that she didn't follow the Hollywood treadmill to success.

Like many actresses, the New Jersey-native started out as a model - a career she went into when she was 13. Becoming a TV newscaster was her ultimate goal but when a job brought her to LA she got hooked on acting.

A friend of actress Amy Smart, who was taking drama classes at the time, Larter decided to follow suit. It changed her life.

She says: "I found a place to express my feelings through different characters.

"If I hadn't taken that chance I might not have ended up where I am today."

Moving from modelling to acting is her "be open to trying something new" tip. Her next one - to follow your path - came about when she made a radical decision to leave Hollywood when she didn't like the direction her career was taking.

Larter, who appeared in the film Legally Blonde and Dawson's Creek says: "I wasn't happy with the work I was doing.

"I wasn't the woman I wanted to be and I knew I couldn't find her unless I left LA."

That risky move, Larter says, later helped her acting career.

She says: "Taking that break ultimately helped me realise what I really wanted to do with my life."

She spent her self-imposed exile from Hollywood travelling the world bouncing from New York, Germany, France, Poland, India, China to other countries in the span of two years.

"I feel like I really grew up during that time," Larter says.

"I learned that life's not just about work and making money. It's about meeting people and seeing their view of the world, experiencing new things, and sometimes going down the wrong path - but knowing in the end it will be fine."

It is at this point that the actress leaps back into the showbiz pool and - although she was no longer flavour of the month - didn't take no for an answer.

She says: "People said I wasn't fresh. No one wanted to hire me.

"It was depressing but I didn't take it personally. I just pushed on through."

After a few months of misses she struck gold when she tried out for Heroes. Larter says: "I got the exact role I wanted.

"I know now from experience on the road that my personality needs adventure and danger, which is just what Heroes has.

"To get to push myself as an actress and express those things in my work? I feel so lucky."

The actress also shares her health and beauty tips. Her top priority, she insists, is almost daily exercise. Larter says: "Working out has always been a part of my life."

"Now that I'm in my 30s it's become even more important for me to take care of myself."

This involves running for two to three miles, 25 minutes, three or four times a week through the Hollywood Hills.

"This is non-negotiable," Larter says. "I don't think about it. I just do it. I never, ever miss my workout. Never!"

The model-turned-actress, who has never had a weight problem, also says that moderation is the key to her slim figure.

She says: "One night I splurge and have pasta and champagne and finish with a chocolate soufflé?.

"The next it's a salad for dinner and frozen yoghurt for dessert."

The Heroes actress also favours an all-organic diet of cereal, soymilk, grilled chicken and salad.

"I love to cook my own dinners," she says. "But I rarely eat carbs at night because I tend to put on pounds when I do.

"So I just make a sauce, like a thick lamb ragout, skip the bread and pasta and add a salad."

Another one of her tips is to bin naughty foods like ice cream. She says: I take three bites and throw the rest out. If I don't, I'll eat it all night long."

To maintain her clear complexion, the blonde has weekly facials, moisturises daily with posh cream La Mer and gets lots of sleep.

She tells Shape: "When I don't get eight hours, my skin suffers. A good night's rest is one of the best things you can do for your complexion."

So too is water. She says: "I drink water constantly. I down four huge Evian bottles a day. It makes my skin feel less dry.

"I eat plenty of organic vegetables. Skin is your biggest organ and when you follow a healthy diet and skip junk food, it shows."

By Marissa Charles, Feb 05 2008 © Copyright 2008 - Showbiz Spy