Jayne Mansfield

Credit: Courtesy Ladies Home Journal

Mariska Hargitay Loves Her Curves from Motherhood

Originally posted 02/08/2013 11:15AM

Motherhood and the perspective of age have helped Mariska Hargitay become a more confident – and fulfilled – woman and actress.

The longtime Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star, 49, answered candid questions about life and aging from readers for the Ladies' Home Journal's March cover story, on newsstands Feb. 12.

"I love my curves because they scream, 'I'm a mama!' I'm the girl who started wearing maternity pants about an hour after I found out I was pregnant because I was so excited about becoming a mom," Hargitay, a mother of three, happily offers, noting that while she runs to stay fit, it's carrying toddlers up the stairs in her home that now add strength training to her daily workouts.