On her 40th birthday, actor-humanitarian Celina Jaitly is in a reflective mood and is counting her blessings, while also looking back at a fulfilling journey that she had so far.

“By 40 I have proudly achieved so much. I became a supermodel at age of 15, went on to win Miss India, Miss Universe runner-up at 19, was launched by the great Feroz Khan in films, done some fabulous films, became a UN Goodwill Ambassador, fought for LGBTA equality, won international awards, married an Austrian (Peter Haag), gave birth to two sets of twins and I won a best performance award just two weeks before I turn 40. It’s a great legacy to look back at and amazing motivation towards what the future holds,” she shares.

And while she knows that birthdays come with this whole thing about growing a year older, she is not worried. “I don’t look at age, I look at accomplishments and achievements,” she adds.

As for her plans for this special milestone birthday, the actor says she will be celebrating it in Europe at their family alpine estate.

“We have an amazing high altitude hike planned, just the five of us — me, my husband and three sons, followed by an intimate evening with wine and cake,” she says.

Jaitly tied the knot with hotelier Peter Haag and the two welcomed their first set of twins — Winston and Viraaj in 2012. Jaitly again gave birth to twin boys, Shamsher and Arthur, in 2017 but the former couldn’t survive.

She says that her birthday celebrations have changed after having kids. “Birthdays aren’t just about that person. They’re about celebrating the entire family and giving thanks that they are in our life and vice versa,” she ends.