For three-time Grammy and five-time Latin Grammy awardwinner Gloria Estefan, landing a leading role on the big screen wasn’t just a major career milestone, it was one that checked all of her boxes. “My criteria is first, will it advance me as an actor? And second, is it going to represent my culture?” Starring opposite Andy Garcia in the 2022 Father of the Bride reboot (now streaming on HBO Max), Estefan, 64, celebrated her Cuban heritage on screen in the film’s Latin revival and continued to develop her skills as an actor. “I love to learn something every day” says Estefan, whose mantra is “Who knows anything?” With that approach, she’s happy to report that “life surprises me every single day,” she says. “Look for your passion. Find what makes you happy most days because if you find that, then the rest is great.” Estefan is also reveling in the recent success of Red Table Talk: The Estefans, a Facebook Watch talk show she hosts with her daughter, Emily, and niece, Lili. On it, she’s opened up about everything from sexual abuse to working through a near-fatal tour bus crash that left her with metal rods in her back. These topics aren’t a breeze, she admits, but Estefan is grateful for the opportunity to give fans a candid look inside her life. “It helps to know that whatever I went through and shared might be of service to someone, because that’s my prime objective in this life. Maybe because I’m a Virgo—we love to be of service.”

Spry Living caught up with Estefan to discuss the secret to her 44-year-long marriage to music producer Emilio Estefan, the exercise habits she fits into her busy schedule and the role therapy played when her mother passed away.

The number [64] seems big, but I really don’t feel any age.

I don’t have any restrictions to what I do. And I feel strong— we just went on a ski vacation and I skied all day, every day.

Exercise is crucial for me.

I have hardware in my back (my band called me Robo-pop), so it’s very important for me to keep active. I do an hour on the elliptical or some other kind of cardio. And I do strength training with rubber bands. My muscles will bulk up a lot, so I like to keep them long and limber. Like most women, I am really trying to stay in top shape. And especially at this decade, it gets a little more difficult.

The rods [in my back] are like extra bones to me.

They’re part of my body. If I sit in a hardback chair, I’m going to feel the screws because some are between the muscle and the spine. But it doesn’t really restrict anything. I won’t water ski because falling off of water skis is like concrete. However, snow skiing is great because it’s a different type of fall.

I’m all about balance.

In the 44 years that Emilio and I have been married, we’ve never opened a bottle of wine, just him and I, alone at home at dinner. I love wine, but it’s a social thing for us. So, if we go out and have a nice dinner, we absolutely will indulge. But if I can avoid the calories at home, I do. If I’m out with my family, we’re on vacation and I want to have dessert or eat some pasta, I will. I’m not so hard on myself because life is meant to be lived and enjoyed. I want to avoid any extreme that is going to make me have to cut anything out permanently from my life. So that’s the way I’ve lived.

I am religious about my skincare.

I never miss a night, no matter how tired I may be. I never go to bed with any makeup on. And if I’m going to be in the sun, I’ll wear strong sunblock and a cap.

Studying psychology really helped me in my career.

I don’t like being the center of attention, so I had to get used to that. If we would play four nights at Madison Square Garden, each night the collective personality of that audience was completely different. So it was a beautiful challenge for me to get them to relax because that’s the only way they enjoy the show.

After my mom passed, I found for the first time in my life that I needed a therapist.

It was a very deep hole, and it took me a couple years to come out of that. I was supposed to do an album in 2017 that I literally sang to her at her kitchen table. Two days later, she ended up in the hospital out of nowhere; 33 days later, she passed. I couldn’t sing for more than a year. Music tends to find its best moment, but I needed help after that. And I sought it for the first time in my life.

My therapist did wonderful things.

I feel good. And I know she’s there if I ever need her. It’s important to find someone that you connect with. There are a lot of great therapists, but there has to be a connection and you have to feel that connection. Keep looking until you find the one that really helps you.

We did Red Table Talk: The Estefans

because we wanted to help people feel less alone with the issues in their lives. It was a beautiful way to connect.

One thing that comes with age that I absolutely love:

I have no qualms about making my

opinions known. I’m very secure in my own skin. There’s no situation that you could put me in that I wouldn’t feel comfortable handling.

I got COVID in November, and for me, the biggest challenge was the fear factor.

One of my best friends is one of the top experts on infectious disease in the country, which is both wonderful and terrible. She gives us way too much information. I locked myself up for two weeks and didn’t let anybody up. I was checking my blood oxygen levels through the night because I was there by myself. And boy, the fear was the worst of it. Knowing too much is just as bad as knowing nothing. But I got through it.

The most important thing in the world is to spend time with family,

especially now with my [10-year-old] grandson [Sasha, from her son, Nayib]. I love that relationship so much. I nourish it because I was very close to my grandma, and she was my hero. So, to have the opportunity to impart wisdom is amazing. He loves to learn stuff. He genuinely loves my company. And we love doing things together. It’s just such a fulfilling and wonderful relationship.

I haven’t toured in a while.

I’d like to do something in order to get back in contact with the fans. It’ll never be a world tour. I don’t think it would be enjoyable at this point, just because of the sheer difficulty for me. I don’t lip sync, so everything’s live. If I were to go on a mini tour, I would definitely train for it like it was an Olympic event so that when I’m up there, I can move around and sing without any kind of issues. But my dream would be to have my daughter out there with me in the show. She’s an incredible musician.•