Susan Lucci reveals the one thing that gave her confidence to rock a swimsuit

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Susan Lucci on the Moment She Won Her Emmy

Legendary soap actress Susan Lucci of 'All My Children' recalls the moment she finally won her Emmy at the 26th annual Daytime Emmy Awards in an exclusive interview with Fox News Magazine.

BEVERLY HILLS – Susan Lucci may radiate confidence today, but the "All My Children" star didn't always feel comfortable in her own skin.

Last year, the star posed for an unretouched photo of herself wearing a bathing suit for a Harper’s Bazaar photo shoot — and the Internet went crazy over the stunning pictures. The actress has also been known to post snaps on her official Instagram page of herself lounging in swimwear while vacationing with her husband of 50 years, Helmut Huber.

"I keep positive. I meditate and pray and practice gratitude every morning."

— Susan Lucci

But Lucci, 72, told Fox News that she hasn’t always had the confidence to rock a bathing suit proudly. When asked if there was ever a time when she was hesitant to have her photo snapped, she immediately replied, "Oh yes! Of course."

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Susan Lucci posed for unretouched photos in Harper's Bazaar. (Justice Apple)

Lucci said it wasn't until she found a workout that she really connected with that she gained the confidence she had been searching for.

"Pilates really changed it for me," she told us at the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Summer 2019 TCA press tour event. "I did get a trimmer toned body than I had before I started Pilates so it helped me in every way."

Lucci, who said she was definitely not posting bathing suit pictures before starting her fitness routine, said she does a workout session "almost every day."

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Beyond that, she credits her youthful appearance to good genes.

"My mom turned 102 in March and she looks beautiful," Lucci shared, adding that eating a healthy diet is also important for maintaining her fit physique. "I try to make it balanced but clean. And if I'm going to sin, it's going to be something really worth it, like some spaghetti and meatballs or some great ice cream."

Lucci said she also drinks hot water with lemon on a daily basis and works hard to cater to her mental health.

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"I keep positive. I meditate and pray and practice gratitude every morning," she said. She’s also a big fan of Maria Shriver. "I look for her quotes. I find them very inspirational," Lucci revealed.

Despite Lucci's active and healthy lifestyle, in February, she felt pressure in her chest and went to the hospital where she had two stints put into her heart.

"I had a wonderful doctor. I just had my main checkup and the doctor said I was doing excellent," she explained.