Celebrities Turning 40 in 2012

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Jennie Garth (April 3)

Better after breakup -- and the big 4-0! The newly single Beverly Hills: 90210 star, who parted ways with husband Peter Facinelli in early 2012, recently debuted a jaw-dropping post-split slimdown.

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Jennifer Garner (April 17)

The prospect of getting older doesn't bother the Butter beauty. "I like being 40," she recently told David Letterman. Her husband Ben Affleck, however, is another story. "I don't know that he's as thrilled with the idea of 40 as I am," the mom to Violet, 6, Seraphina, 3, and Samuel, 8 months, revealed. "I really like it. I had no problem with it. I feel like, what more could I want? [It] doesn't look he's as happy as I am about turning 40."

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Carmen Electra (April 20)

Bust out that red swimsuit: now in her fifth decade, the Baywatch alum and Playboy model still looks like she could frolic on the beach with the best of 'em.

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Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (May 2)

The 6-foot-5 actor and WWE superstar -- a.k.a. "The People's Champion" -- continues to kick butt and take names every time he enters the arena.

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Wayne Brady (June 2)

Since his sitcom, The Wayne Brady Show, went off the air in 2004, the triple-threat entertainer has stolen the show during stints on programs like Girlfriends and How I Met Your Mother.

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Sofia Vergara (July 10)

When it comes to middle age, don't believe the hype, says Vergara (pictured here in 2000). "Turning 40 is horrible," the Modern Family star told Lucky mag recently. "People that say it isn't are full of sh-t."

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Scott Foley (July 15)

The handsome former Felicity star (seen here in November 1998) celebrated his fortieth over the summer. He and his wife of six years, Marika, welcomed daughter Marley Addison in 2010.

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Elizabeth Berkley (July 28)

Bayside babe! This Saved By the Bell star recently became a mom, welcoming son Sky Cole with artist hubby Greg Lauren on July 20 -- just shy of her fortieth birthday.

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Ben Affleck (August 15)

"It was not fun for me," the Argo director (seen here in January 1998) told The Hollywood Reporter about celebrating his 40th. "It's this moment of bifurcation between youth and middle age. One wants to think of oneself as young. One does not want to think: 'Wait a minute! How can I be halfway to death?'"

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Cameron Diaz (August 30)

Who's afraid of the big 4-0? Not Cameron Diaz (seen here in January 1995). The blonde beauty, who turned 40 August 30, told InStyle in May that "Life gets better as you get older, definitely . . . I feel better than ever: stronger, more capable and clearer. I really know myself now."

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Idris Elba (September 6)

'Sup String? The sexy former Wire actor looks as though he's barely aged since his days playing Baltimore drug lord Russell "Stringer" Bell on the HBO hit.

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Gwyneth Paltrow (September 27)

The GOOP founder admits her fears about 40 weren't exactly justified. "I was really worried about it, leading up to the day, but now I feel really happy and content with my life," the star (seen here in 1992) told reporters at an event Oct. 5. "I'm excited to move into the next phase. It's much more exciting than I thought it would be."

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Eminem (October 17)

The "Lose Yourself" rapper says he's mellowed as he's gotten older -- and that his art has matured right along with him. "Anything I've ever said, I certainly was feeling at the time," he told the New York Times in 2010, addressing his often controversial past hits. "But I think I've calmed down a bit. My overall look on things is a lot more mature than it used to be."

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Gabrielle Union (October 29)

The gorgeous star (seen here in July 2001) celebrated her 40th with a bash at NYC's Dream Downtown Hotel Oct. 22. "It feels good [to be older]," Union told CNN recently. "I don't have the same kind of drama and chaos in my life. I've eliminated crazy people, dramatic unnecessary situations that could be completely avoided. I don't have that urge to be in the madness."

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Jenny McCarthy (November 1)

If you've got it, flaunt it! The Love in the Wild host certainly still has it, and she didn't hesitate to show it off on the cover of Playboy earlier this summer, just a few months before her 40th birthday.

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Josh Duhamel (November 14)

Fergie's hubby makes it a point to squeeze in regular workouts. "You only have one body," the actor (pictured here in 2000) told USA Today in 2011. "I want to stay as young and athletic as I can for as long as I can." He admits his pop star wife helps keep him motivated, too. "When she's been gone for a week, I've been pretty bad about it," he explained of exercising on his lonesome. "I did a 15-minute workout today that was worthless. We definitely push each other."

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Alyssa Milano

The adorable former Charmed and Who's the Boss star became a mom in August 2011, welcoming son Milo Thomas with hubby David Bugliari. "My heart has tripled in size [since giving birth]," she tweeted that fall about her new bundle of joy.

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Jude Law (December 29)

The British actor (seen here in 1999) says he's never felt more confident. "I feel more and more at ease, because . . . the older I get, the less pressure there is," Law explained to GQ UK recently.