Liu Yelin, from China, rose to fame for her youthful looks. Photo / Liu Yelin
Liu Yelin, from China, rose to fame for her youthful looks. Photo / Liu Yelin
Liu Yelin got her first job in 1985, aged 17.
More than three decades later, the ex-librarian, who has already retired, doesn't look much older.
With glowing skin, a super-toned body and not a single wrinkle in sight, China-born Liu has stunned millions of people with her incredibly youthful looks.
"People are often shocked to find out I'm almost 50," Liu, 49, told MailOnline.
"Whenever I went shopping and told people my real age, I often got mobbed by strangers who wanted to find out my secrets."
The confident and energetic retiree said her age-defying appearance has caused her headaches. People who don't know her often mistake her son, 22, for her boyfriend.
Liu said once she went to attend a friend's wedding with her son, who works as an assistant at a film production company. She was pestered by many guests who wanted to find out if the 22-year-old was her new partner.
Although the active mother has enviable olive skin and flawless complexion, she claimed that she rarely uses cosmetics.
The two are often mistaken for a couple. Photo / Liu Yelin
Instead, Liu, a fitness fanatic, attributes her youthful looks to the regular exercise she's kept to for three decades.
"I swim in the lake and do weight training every day," she said. "My favourite thing is swimming outdoors in winter.
"When everyone was wearing down jackets, I had to strip down to my bikini and dive into freezing water. It's a test for my will and perseverance. I often had to force myself to do it."
Liu Yelin confesses to rarely using make up. Photo / Liu Yelin
Nevertheless, 30 years of sub-zero swimming has helped Yelin build a body even supermodels find hard to achieve.
On Yelin's social media account, she flaunts her firm figure daily by updating photos showing her in bright sportswear or attractive bikinis.
They have not only attracted nearly 75,000 social media followers for Yelin, but also caught the attention of dozens of TV directors, who fought to get her on their programmes.
Liu Yelin loves fitness and being in the outdoors. Photo / Liu Yelin
Above all, Yelin said her tough workout regime has sharpened her character and made her the strong, straightforward person she is today.
The mother has swum across the Yangtse River in China and the Han River in South Korea.
In March 2016, she set a challenge for herself: to swim across the sea for the first time. She successfully crossed the Strait of Malacca after setting out from the shores of Penang, Malaysia.
"It's probably the hardest thing I have done in my life so far. I was used to swimming in rivers and lakes, but I had never swum in the sea.
"I struggled because my goggles were leaking and my tongue hurt so much from touching seawater.
"I felt as if there were dozens of cuts on my tongue, and when the salty seawater flowed into my mouth, it was unbearably painful."
The youthful looking mother confessed it's not easy to stick to her rigorous routine. Photo / Lui Yelin
Despite the ordeal, Yelin successfully crossed the choppy channel after swimming 12km non-stop. It took her four hours.
