I had my first panic attack at 52 years of age. I'm glad it came when it did. If I'd had one as a young lad I don't think I'd have been able to have a career.
I was in the family court for 25 years. And having started a second career, having a second act when you were 52 was something that I never thought would happen to me.
I've been very fortunate in my art career. It's something I would never have expected.
What would you rather be? 52 and look 52, or 52 and look like a 28-year-old lizard?
Life is full of all sorts of things, and I never expected to be a part of this. I never expected to be a model. I never expected to be a stylist. Or a designer. So you never know.
At that time in my career, everything ended up moving so fast, honestly. Within the first five years of my career, I think I did two TV series and four big movies, and I've never been that hot again in my career.
In terms of a "career," I never have long-term plans, and certainly don't want to spend several years, say, writing a "long" novel.
I've been a musician for 52 years professionally. I do it because, for me, I love it.
I'm a writer. I never expected to be recognised on the street. I never expected to get that kind of coverage, good or bad. I never expected to sell as many books as I have.
For women, 50 has too long been seen as a symbolic cut-off point. A roadblock where your energy, vitality and career prospects were once expected to come to a screeching halt.
I never thought I'd be 52 years old. I don't think that anybody at 16 thinks like that.
A baby is expected. A trip is expected. News is expected. Forgetfulness is expected. An invitation is expected. Hope is expected. But memories are not expected. They just come.
It's been a long blessed career. I've been riddled with injuries the past two and a half years and haven't been able to quite compete as I'm accustomed to. At this point, I just really want to enjoy it and put it all on the line when I'm out there.
I know this might be broadcast broadly. But I'm 52 years old, and I'm going to admit to you that I've never had a drop of alcohol.
Of course this is Vegas and it is the melting pot for all over the world, but people from all over the world know Donny and Marie. It is amazing. I have been in the business a long time to realize careers can be fleeting. Five years is a long career nowadays for some people, and here we are still going strong after 40 years.
I thought, 'Wow, if we could have a career that was five or six years long, that would be fantastic.' And, of course, never even thinking it would still be something I'd be doing in 45 years.