Fabio opens up about the goose incident and why his hair isn’t going grey

The male supermodel opens up about the infamous goose incident, his latest project - and why, at 61, his famous locks are still not going grey.

You were all over the news in 1999 when you rode the Apollo’s Chariot roller-coaster in Virginia and were hit in the face by a goose. What exactly happened?

You know what, it was a weird accident. I mean, actually, it wasn’t the bird that hit me. The bird hit the video camera, and the video camera shattered, and a piece of metal caught just the bridge of my nose.

It was a miracle because I could have gone blind. I mean, think about it – 85mph and a piece of metal flying through my face! I was so lucky because it only needed one stitch.

“It was a miracle because I could have gone blind.” (Picture: Supplied)

Your hair is as famous as you are. Now that you’re 61, are you going grey yet?

No, very little. I have to thank my mother and father for good genetics – my father died at 97 with a full head of hair. My mum is 95 and still has tonnes of hair. And also, when you mix genetics with science, you get great results.

You’re behind the new hair and skincare brand Aston James. Tell us about that.

Through my career there have been so many companies that wanted to work with me, but I didn’t want to get involved with anything if it wasn’t organic and about Mother Nature at her best. [Aston James] uses a lot of great ingredients from Australia, like Kakadu plums, which have 50 times more vitamin C than oranges.

“I want to look for a wife down in Australia.” (Picture: Supplied)

Does that mean you’ll be spending more time here?

Oh, you bet. I love Australia. Over here in Los Angeles, it’s always like, “What can you do for me?” You get kind of used to it. But in Australia, it’s “What can I do for you?” That’s such a breath of fresh air.

And I love Australian women. I want to look for a wife down in Australia. They’re the best – they’re beautiful, and they’re really nice, down to earth. That’s the best combination for a woman.

Speaking of wives, you were the cover star of romance novels the world over and yet you’re single. You know why?

Because I look for the entire package. To me, the entire package is everything – mind, body and soul. It’s very hard to find people who are happy with themselves, and I’m very happy with myself. You need the whole combination. It’s like, you can have the most beautiful car, like a Lamborghini or an Aston Martin, with a very powerful motor and a beautiful body, and all of a sudden, you have no wheels. You don’t go anywhere.

“Fabio in Sydney with Aussie TV star Jo Beth Taylor in 1997. (Picture: Getty Images)

You’ve made an entire career out of looking good. What are your top tips for men when it comes to taking care of yourself?

Just enjoy life and be happy with yourself. Exercise. Eat healthy. You’re made of body, mind and soul, and even your soul doesn’t live in a very happy place when your body is falling apart. You have to find a balance between those three things and keep life very simple. When you keep life simple, a lot of things are going to make you happy.

Fabio features in this Sunday’s Stellar.

What makes you happy these days?

Just living a very simple life. I have my dogs. I have my friends. I go out with my friends to restaurants, socialising [under normal circumstances]. I go hiking, go exercising, I like to be with nature – it’s so important to be with nature because we’re part of nature. We’re supposed to go to the ocean, we’re supposed to go in the forest. It really relaxes you.

You spent most of your acting/modelling career topless. How was that for you?

It was great. I didn’t have to buy many clothes – I was just wearing my birthday suit! And I really understand reality, dreams and fairytales… and Hollywood. Hollywood sells many, many different fairytales, but life is different. You can read and you can watch all the beautiful movies you want, it’s just always the little fairytale… and then there’s real life.

Originally published as Fabio opens up about the goose incident and why his hair isn’t going grey