Vanna White on Turning 60 — "Age Is Just a Number"

With her 60th birthday approaching on Feb. 18, Vanna White opens up to Closer Weekly in an exclusive interview about birthday plans and shares important lessons she has learned throughout the years.

“Age is only a number,” the TV icon and Wheel of Fortune hostess tells Closer. “It is really about how you feel.”

Vanna says she’s actually hoping to keep things as low-key as possible for the big 6-0. “I’m not one who likes to celebrate my birthday. I never was,” she insists.

“I remember for my 40th I went to bed early and just watched movies with my kids! So I may go away for the weekend to a spa or resort to just chill. I’m fine doing nothing; is that terrible?” she asks with a laugh.

MUST SEE: Check out Throwback Photos of Vanna White

Vanna is eager to discover what her future holds, but she’s thrilled with where she is today.

When her youngest child, daughter Gigi Santo Pietro, moved away to attend college in 2015, Vanna came down with a severe case of empty nest syndrome. “I’d go to her room and into her closet to smell her clothes, lie on her bed and cry. I took it hard,” Vanna exclusively reveals to Closer.

Vanna on Wheel of Fortune.

“I didn’t have to make my kids’ dinners anymore or help them with their homework. I kept asking myself, ‘Now that I’m not a full-time parent, who am I? What’s my purpose in life?’” she admits to Closer.

MORE: Go Inside Vanna White’s Rise to Fame

Now Vanna says she found her purpose through helping others. “I’ve turned my life over to my work, to being kind to people and being a good role model. I’ve gotten more involved with charities, and I like helping other people,” says the star, who is involved with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

It’s her way of repaying all the kindness that’s been shown to her through the years. “I’ve been through a lot, and I’m sure this next phase of life will bring a whole new set of challenges,” she says. “My whole life’s been a lesson, and I know there will be many more.”

For more on Vanna, pick up the latest issue of Closer Weekly, on newsstands now!