'I'm a mum and dinner lady but I look so young I always get ID'd'

A 42-year-old mum says she regular gets asked for ID in shops because people thinks she's in her early 20s. Lydia Harris' youthful looks mean she racked up 18,000 'swipe rights' on Tinder before she met her boyfriend.

The school 'dinner lady' says people ask her if she's had cosmetic surgery done but she hasn't - and swears by regular exercise and good genes. She says her younger boyfriend Alex Brice, 36, a plumber, is left gutted when she’s asked for ID and he isn’t.

She’s now entered the UK Calendar Girls competition - a beauty pageant for 18-45 year olds - and is hoping to make it into the 2025 charity calendar. Lydia, from Bridgwater, Somerset, who also works as a bartender, said: “I set up Tinder in 2020 and was in there for four weeks before I met my boyfriend – but before I deactivated it, I noticed I had around 18k likes.

“That’s what made me set up my modelling page on Instagram and I started getting messages asking if I did modelling or OnlyFans. People ask what my secret is and if I've had work done, but I say I think I’m just quite lucky and have young genes.

“I’ve had no botox or lip fillers - you see typical women now who’ve had a lot of work done but I don’t look like that. My boyfriend is 36 and is gutted because he never gets asked for ID and I'm older than him.”

Lydia, mum to 15-year-old twins, says she set up Tinder after separating from her husband of 13 years in 2020 and was blown away by the number of potential matches she received. Lydia says when she’s working behind the bar at events she often gets attention from men who ask her how old she is – and don’t believe her when she tells them.

And she claims she has no secrets to her good looks, crediting exercise, eight hours of sleep per night, drinking very little alcohol and using a Boots own-brand scar reduction serum to maintain her youthful appearance. “I get asked for ID a lot - I've got used to it now," she said.

"I’m always ready with my ID in case they ask and most of the time they do. When I show it they’re very taken aback and either apologise or ask how I look so good.

“To get the response I've had with Calendar Girls has been great confidence boost.”

When another UK Calendar Girls competitor suggested she apply after seeing her posts on Instagram @lyd.sj2 she decided to go for it – at just three years younger than the age cutoff for entrants. Now, Lydia says she’s hoping to make it to the UK Calendar Girls final – which would see her featured in the 2025 calendar - when 80 competitors are voted down to just 12 finalists.

“Modelling is something I’ve always been interested in," she said. "I’m not really a confident person but I am confident in front of the camera and enjoy doing it."