Charlize: I had rotten teeth

Los Angeles - Charlize Theron had no teeth until she was 11.

The Snow White and the Huntsman actress is now regarded as one of the world's most beautiful women but she admits this hasn't always been the case because she had a lot of dental problems as a child.

She said: "My early childhood was quite devastating. I had no teeth until I was 11. I had these fangs because I had jaundice when I was a kid and I was put on so many antibiotics that my teeth rotted. They had to cut them out.

"So I never had milk teeth. That was tough, you know, being in school having photos taken while I was pretending I had teeth. It was hideous."

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However, Charlize, 36, is now happy with her looks and is also very content in her career and private life after adopting a baby boy, Jackson, earlier this year.

The blonde beauty told The Sun newspaper: "I've never felt more creative and with more energy but on the tiniest amount of sleep.

"I never knew I needed that little sleep. I always had eight hours and now it's, 'Wow, OK, you can function on just four.'

"But Jackson is great. I've always been very aware of balance and, even before I had a child, my life always takes priority to my work.

"I feel very blessed that I have this job but my job is not my life. I'm really lucky that I get to go and do this but my life is pretty kick-ass and I take real priority in that."