Since 2011 Grey’s Anatomy Fans know actress Debbie Allen by a different name: Dr. Catherine Fox (née Avery).
The Texan-born actress has played the razor-sharp urologist for over 10 years and is now returning for the 20th season of the series, which premieres tonight. And at 74, Debbie balances her many Responsibilities – including starring, producing and directing some Grey’s Episodes – with ease, just as she has been doing since her teenage years.
“I was voted the most versatile student in my high school class in Houston, Texas. I danced, I was a majorette, I was one of the homecoming queens. I was always able to multitask,” Debbie tells exclusively Women’s health“This path has somehow followed me. I’ve always done more than one thing.”
And Debbie is more concerned about her health than ever before. She has even teamed up with Prevent Blindness to launch the Gr8 Eye Movement in September to raise awareness of serious retinal diseases such as diabetic macular edema and diabetic retinopathy.
The cause is very close to Debbie’s heart because she herself suffers from prediabetes and lost her father to the effects of diabetes at the age of only 63.
“It’s just devastated my family,” she says. “There are millions of people out there who don’t even know they’re at risk.”
Now Debbie explains how she stays as healthy and active as ever – even with the help of fellow star and friend Denzel Washington. Read more on The—and the upcoming season of Gray‘s – below.
Debbie keeps her diet and exercise routine simple.
When it comes to health, Debbie keeps it simple: She eats a low-carb, low-sugar, high-protein diet. She and her friends even share health information to make sure they have the best routine possible—including Denzel, who called her the other day to talk about water intake.
“The other day, Denzel Washington called me on set and said, ’64 ounces a day! You have to drink 64 ounces!'” she recalls. “I just said, ‘Honey, calm down. I can’t. I have to go to the bathroom every two minutes!'”
Debbie adds that he asked her the next day if she had followed his advice. And while she May While you may not get the full 64 ounces, Debbie says it’s important to drink as much as you can, especially as you get older.
And although she no longer dances as much (in addition to Gray‘SDebbie is also known for her work as a star and choreographer at fame), she says her students at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy are carrying on her legacy.
“My father always told me, ‘Keep dancing, Deborah K, and everything will be fine!'” she adds.
She draws inspiration from her mother.
A big inspiration for her health journey, says Debbie, is her mother Vivian, who is now 100 years old. From a young age, Debbie says she helped her mother, a poet, sort through her writing; through that experience, she says, she quickly learned the value of hard work.
“I think it’s a measure of my strength that I’ve remained so active and energetic in what I do,” she says.
Debbie works on projects that are close to her heart.
But perhaps the most important health advice Debbie offers is to “stay happy.” She is excited about the projects she is working on – including Gray‘S and the Gr8 Eye Movement – keeps Debbie excited and active, which helps reduce her stress levels.
Debbie is currently focusing on the upcoming season 20 of Grey’s Anatomywhich she says will be “pretty hot from the start.”
The episode follows on directly from last season’s finale, in which two interns, Lucas (Niko Teho) and Simone (Alexis Floyd), go astray during an operation. Debbie’s character Catherine will be pretty tough on the two, with Debbie adding, “You’ll see how much trouble they’re really in.”
Of course, in real life, Debbie is nowhere near as intense as Dr. Catherine Fox.
“I try to be cheerful because stress is a big factor in people’s health – or not. It’s about how you deal with stress,” she says.
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