Suzanne Somers recalls her ‘controversial’ topless 'birthday suit' photo: ‘This is a new way to age’

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Suzanne Somers on her secrets for defying aging

Suzanne Somers recalls her controversial “birthday suit” photo, and her secrets to defy aging in an interview on “Fox and Friends.”

NEW YORK – Suzanne Somers had no idea she would be feeling the heat after posting an Instagram snap celebrating the big 7-3 in nothing but a “birthday suit.”

“I turned 73 this year and I put on a controversial picture of myself,” the “Three’s Company” star explained in an interview with “Fox & Friends" host Steve Doocy.

“I said, ‘Here I am, 73 in my birthday suit,’” she continued. “It got 168 million hits. But I wasn’t naked. I was on the property with [my husband] Alan [Hamel] and we’re walking. I went, ‘Wow, this grass is the same color as my hair.’ I leaned down so that my hair would look like it was part of the grass. I dropped my top — I was all covered. I didn’t think it was a controversial picture. But it became controversial. And then I thought, ‘Well, that’s not bad.’ Because I looked like I was naked, but I wasn’t.”

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In October 2019, Somers took to Instagram and Facebook to share a photo of herself in Palm Springs, Calif. In the picture, the actress seemingly ditched the clothes and crouched down in some tall grass while covering her breasts.

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The post immediately caught fire among her 102,000 followers at the time on Instagram alone. Most wished the star a happy birthday and some praised her for baring it all. Others, meanwhile, chastised her for the photo. Those who were upset were quick to note her age as a factor.

But Somers insisted she was undeterred by the online hate.

'I didn’t think it was a controversial picture. But it became controversial. And then I thought, "Well, that’s not bad".'

— Suzanne Somers

“I thought, ‘Well, this is a new way to age,’” Somers quipped, referring to her newest book. “What I want women and men — but mostly women because we’re so hard on ourselves — to know [is] it ain’t over. It’s how you take care of yourself going forward. We are going to live longer now. There is life extension whether you like it or not. But no one’s really thinking about quality… I’ve been putting quality back.”

Somers also noted she has no problems aging in the public eye — in fact, she happily embraces it in hopes it will encourage others to do the same.

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Actress Suzanne Somers and her husband Alan Hamel. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

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“I am liking aging,” she explained. “The difference between youth and age is energy. When I say I like aging, I like my energy. I do have a fractured hip right now, but normally, I’m doing marathons. I’m in a very happy stage in my life.”

Recently, Somers completed a six-week stint of bed rest following her injury. “I wish I could say that I fractured it having too much sex,” Somers told the New York Post on Jan. 9.

Somers previously said that she and Hamel, 83, make love twice a day.

“But when you have a fractured hip, there is no sex," she continued. "There’s no coming from behind, or on top, or side or anything.”

But Hamel, who is also the star's manager, stayed right by her side while she was on bed rest.

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“An office can be anywhere, so Alan grabbed his laptop and went to bed with me,” she said. “For Christmas Eve, we got all dressed up. I wore my Norma Kamali gown and diamond earrings. Alan wore his tuxedo with the tie open like Roger Moore. We had tequila and caviar and got a little high.”

As for her 27th book, Somers reportedly acknowledges that many of its claims will likely raise eyebrows from some medical professionals, but she's fine with that.

“My focus is narrow, but what I know I really know,” she said. “I learn with every book, and I use my fame to get to the best and the brightest. I’ve had to earn it. I still get ridiculed and people say, ‘She’s not a doctor!’ They’re right. I’m not a doctor. But I spend my life interviewing and even lecturing doctors.”

Somers, who also says she will lead by example, added: “I want women to know that it ain’t over... and that the choices you make today will determine how much fun you have going forward.”

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Suzanne Somers (right) starred in the hit sitcom "Three's Company." (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images)

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One other thing that the star wants everyone to know?

“I loved playing Chrissy Snow [on ‘Three’s Company’],” Somers said. “That was a delicious character to play. But [despite the frequent jokes] no, I’m not into threesomes. I’m monogamous and happily so!”