Jane Seymour Sets ‘Record Straight’ About Plastic Surgery Claims: ‘People Were Getting It Wrong’ (Exclusive)

"I have nothing against people doing anything they want to do," the 'Harry Wild' star tells PEOPLE of having cosmetic procedures done

Jane Seymour has long received praise for shirking cosmetic procedures as she ages.

But, “to set the record straight — because people were getting it wrong — they attempted to do something to my under-eyes when I was 40 because photographers kept saying that I had bulgy eyes,” the Harry Wild star, 73, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “The doctor told me it's actually a muscle, so there's nothing I can do about it.”

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The British actress quips that she’s had “quite a good career considering the bulgy eye” and says she never wants to “do anything permanent.”

“I've been playing a lot of amazing roles, recently two women with Alzheimer's with very emotional scenes, and if you're going to be that emotional, you need every muscle in your face,” Seymour says. “So I have nothing against people doing anything they want to do, but for me personally, it is not helping me in my craft, unless I'm playing somebody who's had Botox, in which case, I would be all over it.”

Related: Why Jane Seymour Agreed to Star in Crime Thriller Harry Wild After Saying She'd 'Never Do a Series' Again (Exclusive)

Seymour does have a secret for maintaining a youthful appearance.

“The best facelift is a smile,” she says. “If you want to look young, just smile from ear to ear.”

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She also eats a Mediterranean diet and practices intermittent fasting, Pilates and Gyrotonic training.

“I actually really like healthy food,” Seymour says, adding that she grows everything she eats in her garden. “I drink wine — not as much as Harry Wild — but sometimes I just don't drink, for no reason other than it's caloric and I like being very clear-headed.”

Seymour approaches exercise “very carefully so I don't hurt my back or my legs,” she says. “I incorporate weights into whatever I'm doing because I think a lot of women think that if they go for a run or do a booty burn or something, that that's enough. I think at our age, it's proven that bone loss is what you have to be careful of. I'll never be Arnold Schwarzenegger or a bodybuilder, but I'm now an 8-to-10-lbs. person.”

The Emmy winner’s approach to her health changed after she had a near-death experience on a set in Spain in 1988. She came down with bronchitis while filming and a nurse injected an antibiotic into her vein rather than a muscle.

“When I nearly died and I saw the white light, a couple of really big things happened there. I remember looking down at me and I was just right there in the corner of the room, looking down at this guy screaming and yelling and trying to inject me with things and we can't find an ambulance,” Seymour recalls. “I didn't connect emotionally at all, but I did intellectually. It occurred to me that this [body] was like a car and it wasn't running, so when I did get back in my body, I just valued the car. Your car is only as good as you keep it, if you can do something to keep it good, keep it running, then yes.”

Related: Jane Seymour Talks About Being ‘Unseen’ as She Ages, Says Men ‘Look Over My Head and Find the Nearest Man’ To Talk To

Although Seymour says “I'm not religious about” working out, she likes “feeling healthy.”

“For me, it's a high,” she adds. “For me to feel that my body works and I can do this show and I can jump off things and climb through things and work a good 12 hours without pausing, I'm eternally grateful for it.”

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Harry Wild airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on BBC America and Acorn TV.

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