Audrey Hepburn, pictured in 1950, has been voted Britain's ultimate timeless beauty [GETTY]
Her gamine looks, trademark fringe and strong eyebrows made her loved by men and admired by women, and now Audrey Hepburn has been voted the UK's ultimate timeless beauty.
The star of classic Hollywood films Breakfast At Tiffany's, Roman Holiday and Funny Face beat Kate Middleton and Holly Willoughby to the top spot in a survey by Pears soap.
In the nationwide poll, more than a quarter of women (26 per cent) chose Audrey for her perennial appeal, far ahead of edgier beauties Cara Delevingne (1.15 per cent) and Kate Moss (0.75 per cent).
With her elfin features and tall, slender body, Hepburn broke the mould when she took her first starring role in 1953's Roman Holiday. The film's director Billy Wilder remarked, "After so many drive-in waitresses becoming movie stars, there has been this real drought, when along came class."
Kate Middleton came second to Audrey Hepburn in a timeless beauty poll [GETTY]
The Hollywood photographer Leo Fuchs, commented on her sophisticated European-inflected looks, "Audrey was a singular person, there ain't many like her. 'Beautiful woman' is very difficult to explain but she certainly was beautiful. She was very enticing at all times."
The star herself said: "Whenever I hear or read I’m beautiful, I simply don’t understand it … I’m certainly not beautiful in any conventional way. I didn’t make my career on beauty.”
And she's reported to have said, “Make-up can only make you look pretty on the outside, but it doesn’t help if you’re ugly on the inside. Unless you eat the make-up.”
Pears commissioned its Timeless Beauty report to celebrate the 225th anniversary of the classic, transparent soap.
In a poll of 2,000 British women, respondents were asked the traits they believed defined the notion of timeless beauty. Three quarters (75 per cent) named confidence, followed by 67 per cent who said happiness, while 58 per cent said having a sense of humour makes someone's beauty timeless.
Grace Kelly came third in Pears' beauty poll [GETTY]
Audrey Hepburn's fawn-like looks shot her to the top of the list, ahead of the Duchess of Cambridge who earned 16 per cent of the vote, and legendary Hollywood beauty Grace Kelly, who earned just 8.4 per cent of the vote.
This Morning co-presenter Holly Willoughby came in at number four (8.2 per cent) and Emma Thompson who possesses confidence, happiness and humour in spades, was voted fifth in the timeless beauty list.
Cosmetic surgery disqualifies someone from being a timeless beauty, according to the survey. For instance the likes of The Only Way Is Essex's Lauren Pope and former Coronation Street actress Helen Flanagan failed to make the top 10 list, suggesting that natural looks are more appealing.
Interestingly, when it came to beauty routines, mothers had more influence on the women surveyed than celebrities. A fifth (20 per cent) cited their mums as their main beauty influence, and only four per cent said famous women or glossy billboard ads had an effect on their routines.
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Many of us still swear by beauty tips passed on by our mothers and grandmothers and a third (31 per cent) say they still use tried-and-tested beauty tips from the older female members of their family such as taking a walk every day and using warm, then cold water to open pores.
No doubt delighted to hear that the nation's women shun beauty fads for iconic products, Pears UK ambassador Naomi Isted said: "Beauty trends come and go but timeless beauty is all about taking care of yourself both inside and out.
"The list of timeless beauties reflects the values and ingredients British women told us they deem beautiful. Audrey Hepburn, the nation’s favourite, exuded confidence but also her long standing humanitarian work showed her to be kind – another top ingredient to being beautiful.
"Equally, we see Holly Willoughby, who came fourth in the poll, smiling every morning on daytime TV and we know that being happy is another top factor in appearing beautiful.”
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