They say age is nothing but a number but for these celebrities they were less than forthcoming about the very number on their birth certificates.
Karlie Redd
When Karlie Redd first joined the cast of “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta,” she was acting very cagey about her age. Viewers of the show soon found out that she had an adult daughter but even still she went on a radio station and claimed she was in her 20’s. Although her Wikipedia page has her listed as 36 years old, word on the street is the reality star is looking at the big 5-0.
Nicki Minaj
When she first emerged on the rap scene, Nicki Minaj and her camp had her fans believing she was born in 1984. But when her then-boyfriend Safaree Samuels assaulted her in 2011, we found out her real age. The “Super Bass” singer called the police and listed on the report her real birthday, December 8, 1982, making her two years older than she actually was.
Sandra Bullock
While most women lie about their age to pretend to be younger, Sandra Bullock was untruthful to appear older. After learning that producers of the 1992 film “Love Potion #9” wanted an older actress to play the scientist, America’s sweetheart told a little white lie. “I go there and I say I’m 29,” Bullock said. “After a while, you have no idea how old you are because you’ve lied so many times. I always said I would never lie, but one time, when I didn’t it worked against me. So I figure you just keep them guessing.”
Eminem
When Eminem first started out in the rap industry, he had one very obvious factor that worked against him: his white skin. But apparently the Detroit rapper felt his age would work against him also because during a radio interview with Howard Stern, he told the shock jock that he was 24. But the truth was Em was actually two years older.
Nelly
Eminem isn’t the only rapper who lied about his age when he first came out. Back in 2003, “Teen People” magazine listed the “Hot In Here” rapper on its 25 Hottest Stars Under 25 list. The only problem was when the issue hit newsstands Nelly was really 28. The St. Louis native and his camp were also telling everyone he was born in 1980 when he actually entered this world six years earlier.
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez looks amazing for her age and proud to be 46 but there was a time when she wasn’t so forthcoming. Back when she was known as Jenny from the block and running around with Sean “Diddy” Combs, Lopez was lying about her age by a whole year. The “American Idol” judge was telling everyone she was born in 1970 when the truth was she was born in 1969 instead. Lopez has also told “Harper’s Bazaar” mentally she’s 16 to 18 years old.
Geri Halliwell
When the Spice Girls first dropped their debut album, Geri “Ginger Spice” Halliwell claimed she was 21. But her fans weren’t exactly buying it and she was dubbed Old Spice. Halliwell continued to keep up the charade and even celebrated her 29th birthday several years in a row. That is until fellow bandmate Victoria Beckham outted her. It turns out she was four years older than she actually had people believing.
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg seems like the type of person who is an open book with her life and has no secrets. But when she was just starting out, the legendary actress/comedian lied about her age. The daytime talk show co-host added six years on to her age because “nobody would hire me to act,” she revealed to RadarOnline. “Everyone said I was too young.”
Mila Kunis
Her role on “That 70’s Show” proved to be the big break that Mila Kunis needed but she had to lie to get it. A 14-year-old Kunis told producers of the show that she was turning 18. “Legally I was 14, but I told them I was a little bit older,” Kunis confessed on Jay Leno. “I told them I was gonna be 18, which is not technically a lie, cause at one point I was gonna be 18.”
Gabrielle Carteris
Fans of the original “Beverly Hills 90210” may have felt that Gabrielle Carteris was a bit too long in the tooth to play high school overachiever Andrea Zuckerman and they were right. Carteris was 29 years old when she began playing the 16-year-old. “I actually talked to a lawyer about how could I sign these contracts and lie about my age and still be able to do the show,” Carteris said. “‘Is it OK?’ And, ‘Yes it is, as long as you just say you’re over 21.’”
Nicole Scherzinger
Acute Pussycat Dolls fans may have spotted a slight age discrepancy but most people were fooled by Nicole Scherzinger until she came clean. Scherzinger confessed that she lied about her age on the band’s website. Her age was listed at 28 but she was really 30 and was lying about her past to appear to be younger. Scherzinger has been in an on-again, off-again relationship with Formula 1 World champion Lewis Hamilton, who is seven years her junior, since 2007.
Agyness Deyn
British model Agyness Deyn has always had a flair for fashion and she rocked a shaven head at a very early age. Perhaps that’s why she always looked older than what she actually was. Or it could be that Deyn was actually six years older than what she had everyone believe. “When I decided I would really do modeling I was like 18, and I think at the time that was quite old for a new face, so we knocked off a few years,” Deyn said.
Jessica Chastain
Jessica Chastain has kept her real age a mystery and she says she has a very good reason for keeping it to herself: she wants to be able to land as many roles as she can. “I will never say my age because I’m an actress, and I want to play different ages,” the “Zero Dark Thirty” star said in an interview. In 2012, her official age was listed as 30 but just 365 days later, she had aged five years.
