She is the reigning Queen of Country Music, selling an astounding 38 million records in a career that has spanned more than three decades. But Reba McEntire is not a one-trick pony: Her hit sitcom, Reba, ended a six-year run in February 2007, and she even did a 2001 stint on Broadway playing the lead in Annie Get Your Gun. And the best is undoubtedly to come: The CD she released earlier this year — Reba Duets, in which she teams up with a host of country stars, as well as American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson — marked Reba's 31st studio album, and her 10-track Valentine's CD Love Revival is being featured at Hallmark Gold Crown stores from now through Feb. 28.

At 52, she's also strikingly youthful-looking — performing with 25-year-old LeAnn Rimes at last November's CMA Awards, Reba could have passed for the younger singer's sister — and that didn't just come down to good genes. "Reba has an amazing outlook and a beauty that comes from within," says Brett Freedman, her hair and makeup artist. "When someone radiates a happy expression, that's a window into who they really are. Reba has such a sweet vibe." Fellow Duet performer Kelly Clarkson seconds that idea, recently telling Larry King that for her, Reba is truly "the light at the end of the tunnel."

Laughing Off the Years

"I love being 50, and I will love being 60, too," says Reba. "Age has never bothered me because I'm having a good time." In fact, the entertainer admits, the key to her seemingly endless youth isprobably just laughing — as often as possible. "It is so very important," she insists. "It's right up there with my love for my family and my relationship with God. I know God meant for us to laugh a lot."

And no one, Reba notes, deserves more credit for constantly keeping her in stitches than her manager/husband of 18 years, Narvel Blackstock, 50, their 17-year-old son, Shelby, and her stepkids Chassidy, Shawna and Brandon, all in their 20s.

"I pretty much surround myself with people who make me laugh," Reba says. "That was the greatest thing about being on the Reba TV show. Those people were not only funny on television, they were even hysterical at the rehearsals. We had a lot of fun together, and that was important. Comedienne Melissa Peterman opens the show for me now during my concerts, and I look forward to her part of the show more than anything, because she makes me laugh."

Mindful Maintenance

Not surprisingly, Reba's health-and-fitness regimen has a "keep it light" quality as well. Revolving around daily vitamins, strict sun-avoidance, lots of water and brisk 30-minute walks three to four times weekly, it's more about common sense than impossible-to-follow rules. And with an admitted weakness for desserts and all things Mexican, she's not putting herself through any tortuous dieting paces, either. "I love the chips and salsa and margaritas," Reba says, noting that her favorite South of the Border combo is red beans, fried potatoes and cornbread.

Though the singer is careful about what she consumes — with a family history of Type 2 diabetes, she believes in healthy eating, watching portion sizes and cutting back on sugar — she doesn't consider any food off-limits: "I wake up in the morning thinking, 'What can I have for breakfast? What will I have for supper?' "

And while makeup artist Freedman even credits Reba's lack of rigidity with keeping her complexion youthful, the star herself connects it to nightly makeup removal and an herbal facial cleanser from Noevir, the Japanese skin-care line, which she special-orders (noevirusa.com). "I've been using it for 16 years," she says. "I've tried other products, but I like it the best."

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