'It's the proudest role in my life' - Eva Longoria opens up on motherhood, her love of cooking, and her one easy beauty secret

Eva Longoria may be the glossy, high-glam star we all know from Desperate Housewives and, of course, being friends with Victoria Beckham. But it turns out that while she may look like that on the outside, she is never happier than when she is at home with her husband of 10 years Jose and son Santi, eight, watching him grow up.

Discussing what she is most proud of for the latest issue of woman&home, Eva, 51, beams, “My son. He’s the light of my life, the centre of my universe. He’s finishing first grade, and so just to see this little human learn and accomplish things and really come into his own - and that I created that! I think I did it by myself,

“I mean, my husband may have helped a bit… You guide these little humans, but really, it’s nature and nurture. He’s really figuring it out on his own, and that’s fascinating watching that unfold. But it’s definitely my proudest role in my life, being a mom.”

And asked what she would do if she had a moment to herself, it is whipping up a feast in her homes in Marbella, Spain, and Mexico.

“I would cook, I love cooking, it’s very therapeutic for me. So any chance I get, I’ll be in the kitchen. Usually I would make Mexican food, that’s the most loved thing in my household - tacos, beef, chicken, all of it,” she said.

For someone who looks as glamorous as she does, Eva - who is a brand ambassador for L'Oreal Paris - has a surprising way of looking her best that doesn’t involve any surprising make-up tricks, and is achievable for most of us (depending on the day!). A good night of sleep.

Discussing her one non-negotiable in life, she said, “Sleep, I need sleep. I really fight for sleep. If I don't get eight hours, I'm not human! And people always ask me, ‘What's your beauty secret?’ It's sleep! I take supplements, I take my magnesium, I set an alarm for bedtime. I turn off the screens. I have a sound machine. I make the room cold - I do it all.”

And her advice for anyone trying to get into the business she has worked so hard in for decades now? Take rejection as “fuel” and move forward.

“You’ve got to accept rejection as part of the game and be really thick skinned about it. Take rejection as fuel, not as a failure,” she said. “And it's not so much rejection as redirection. It's just like, ok, not that, but maybe this? That's not for you, but maybe this is your role. Maybe this is your script. Maybe this is your movie. So be really prepared to understand the psychology of rejection, because it's not always negative.”

Wise words, whatever industry you work in!