It's hard to believe that Deidre Hall, who plays Marlena on Days of our Lives, ever worried about her looks. Today, she's a radiant, self-assured beauty on screen, and one of the few Hollywood glamour girls who looks equally stunning without any make-up on. Despite what the cosmetic ads claim, she's proof that the real trick to beauty isn't how you decorate yourself, but how you feel about what you've got.

"I was an ugly kid," Deidre reveals, insisting that her looks never won raves for her as a youngster. "I was a gangly, awkward child. I was unattractive, out of proportion and had no grace."

Deidre grew up in Lake Worth, Florida, where she was born two minutes after her twin sister, Andrea. "My childhood was average," she recalls. "We weren't affluent, but my parents did the best they could with five children. They didn't have the kind of money to keep us in style. I made a lot of my own clothes, but I wasn't a great seamstress, so I knew I didn't measure up." Her typical school outfit, she remembers, was a little jumper that she wore with sneakers.

What Deidre's parents lacked in money, they made up for in emotional support. They instilled a strong set of values in her; and even as a kid she knew that "measuring up isn't really about what you wear. If people don't talk to you, what makes you think they want to talk to your clothes?" she says. "It's who you are--not what you wear--that makes you popular." As a teenager, Deidre learned to compensate for her lack of style, by becoming a really good buddy. Other girls sought her out because she was fun to be with--an encouraging, sharing and devoted friend.

Once her generosity was really put to the test. In high school, Deidre wasn't asked to the prom, but her best friend was. Instead of letting jealousy getting the best of her, Deidre decided to do something positive. Always handy with hair and make-up, Deidre helped her friend get ready for the gala evening, so she'd look her glamorous best. "i did her hair and dressed her." Deidre recalls. "It was a big step for me emotionally, just letting her know that I wasn't invited to the prom. I encouraged her to have a good time, because I wanted to share that little piece of fun with her."

Deidre finally felt a sense of self-worth when she became junior orange Bowl Queen. She entered the contest thinking it would be a first step towards a modeling career, but she'd never dream that she would actually win the pageant.

Of course, that beauty crown was just the beginning; but over the years Deidre's learned that outward success is really hollow if you aren't happy on the inside. "I feel so blessed by this life," she says today. "Life has been good to me. Nobody can be worthy of all that I get--wonderful people, wonderful jobs, wonderful homes, and wonderful trips. I want to share it with the people I love."