Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson was second

Earlier this summer she was voted Best Looking Celebrity for the second year running in another magazine survey for best.

Then she beat off strong Hollywood competition from fellow actresses Jennifer Aniston and Julia Roberts to take the top spot again

She and her husband Michael Douglas also came runners-up in the Best Looking Couple award - though they took the same position in the Most Mismatched Couple

The Hollywood couple pulled off an unlikely feat considering it was a survey of UK readers: they beat into third place the celebrity couple most in the limelight in this country, Victoria and David Beckham, better known as Posh and Becks.

The Woman's Journal list published on Saturday also features the Countess of Wessex in twenty-seventh position.

"The results of this survey are inspiring. It's great to remember that it's not just the youthful twenty-somethings who are seen as attractive and sexy," said magazine associate editor Sarah Ivens.

Actress Kristin Scott Thomas was voted third

"Women over 30 often convey an elegance and confidence that younger women lack."

The list was published to support the magazine's Face of Journal 2002 competition, a search for a new model aged between 30 and 50

Zeta Jones and Douglas marked their joint birthdays on September 26 by remembering those killed in the terrorist attacks in America.

Catherine, who turned 32, and Michael, now 57, issued a mutual statement sympathising with those grieving the loss of loved ones in the atrocities.

Michael, who acts as a United Nations Messenger of Peace, posted the message on his website.

"In response to the recent events, Catherine and I send our sincerest condolences to our fellow New Yorkers and the families affected by this tragedy," they said.

The couple praised the efforts of the workers in the rescue operation around the World Trade Center.