Sophia Loren is everything you want in a woman: voluptuous, funny, warm, intelligent and able to dispense advice on anything from pasta to the meaning of love in one bat of a perfectly-curled eyelid.

Yes, as well as being of one of cinema's greatest legends, Loren is also brimming with indispensable nuggets of wisdom on life, men, fashion and anti-ageing (goddamn that lady).

Whether it's sex tips you're after, or a timely quote on the power of mistakes, or even the definition of beauty (it's not anything to do with breasts or a pout, says the woman who has both in potent quantities), this towering queen of the silver screen has all the answers you need. Come take a look at her life wisdom:

Photos: Rex Features

Life lessons from Sophia Loren