Diane Kruger used to think being beautiful ''meant being skinny''.

The 36-year-old actress - who is in a relationship with actor Joshua Jackson - admits her old outlook was ''stupid'' and her stance changed when she turned 30.

She explained: ''When I was younger, being beautiful meant being skinny; I was a model, so you can imagine how hard it was to stay in shape.

''But when I turned 30, I realised how stupid I was for believing that. I think you're beautiful when you're smart and beauty is something you need to achieve.''

And the 'Inglourious Basterds' star never feels more beautiful as when Joshua professes his love for her.

Asked when she feels beautiful, she told Italy's Io Donna magazine: ''When the person I love tells me, 'I love you'. I'm not joking, it's true!''

Diane is astonished by how successful she has been and admits her life often feels like a ''dream''.

She said: ''I feel incredibly lucky because of all the opportunities that I've had along the way and because I'm still here in this business after all this time. It just feels like a dream to me sometimes.

''It certainly was not what I thought would happen to me when I was still living in a small village in the north of Germany.

''People who are born and raised there, usually never leave. Nobody from my family has ever left their hometown. I'm grateful for what I have got now.''