DING! DING! ROUND SIX; Sly's back in the ring at 60... even though he can't run and he's had to give up sex to do it.

Byline: By Samantha Booth

WHEN muscle bound actor Sylvester Stallone told his wife he was going to make another Rocky movie, she burst into tears.

Former model Jennifer Flavin, who has been married to Sylvester for nine years, said she didn't want to be around to see her actor husband get humiliated or, worse still, killed.

Now though the Cliffhanger star says she likes the idea of him being in another Rocky and it is him who thinks he should never have agreed to resurrect the character for a sixth time.

He said: "She was absolutely right. I mean, she was just defending her husband from what actually was a totally crazy idea, but now she likes it."

Stallone is, after all, now 60-years-old and readily admits that things don't quite work like they used to.

Even although he still managed to train for about four hours a day to prepare for the role in which he looks like he has a14-pack of pure muscle, he is well aware that time is beginning to take its toll on his body.

He said: "I know a lot of actors say they train for 12 hours a day for parts like this, but the truth is I did about threeand- a-half to four because that's all the body can take.

"Anything more than that and you start to break down and actually end up performing worse.

"But the other problem now is I can't run any more so all my training was either in the ring or with weights.

"Things just wear out. All those years of heavy leg lifting and running up steps now meanwhen I try to run everything hurts - my knees, hips and even my neck.

"There's nothing plastic in there yet, but we are getting close to it."

And maybe one of the reasons why his wife Jennifer, with whom Sylvester has three young daughters, cried over her husband's decision to appear in another Rocky film was because the heavy training means he has to stick to a sexban, just like his character in the earlier Rocky movies.

He said: "There is only so much energy in the body and I know some athletes in the film didn't adhere to the ban, but I did because I knew it was the only way.

"I hear David Beckham says he doesn't, but maybe he's the exception.

"The people I know who fight all stick to asex ban because, if they don't, they lose.

"I mean, look at nature, think about the wild bull and those guys in the pasture having fun. Who do you think would win in a fight between them? The wild bull of course.

"Of course it is hard to do, but that's why you fight so well.

"You are so aggravated you just want to get it all over with."

But aside from the sex ban and the trials of putting a 60-year-old body through the tough filming of Rocky, Sylvester firmly believes he is happier now than he ever has been.

And the star attributes much of that to his contented marriage and his life as a father to five children - the two sons he had with his first wife Sasha Czack, Sage Moonblood, 30, and Seargeoh, 27, and the three girls he has had with third wife Jennifer, Sophia Rose, 10, Sistine Rose, eight, and Scarlett Rose, four.

He was also married to actress Brigitte Nielson for two years in the Eighties, but the couple had no children.

Sylvester said: "I feel really good. Now I am older my mind is in the right place and I am happier than ever.

"I am really at peace with myself and feel like I am in a great place with a great marriage, great kids and most of my demons put in their place.

"You will always have a couple of demons floating around, that's part of the human make-up, but all my big ones are gone and I feel it is time just to enjoy life.

"I have also realised that money doesn't buy happiness and acquisition is not what it is all about."

Sylvester also prides himself on looking after his daughters and he is very particular about how he brings them up.

He is determined that they learn to be wary of men and to be grateful for their privileged childhood.

The star is adamant that they should also grow up knowing it is wrong to be rude, especially to those who have less than themselves.

He said: "I teach them to be cautious, alittle suspicious in life and not take anything at face value.

"But more importantly I tell them to be incredibly gracious because they have been born extremely lucky.

"I don't expect them to develop a hunger, you know, to be the kind of people to have to go through some kind of great torture just to pay the bills.

"So what you have to do in that situation is be gracious to other people The one thing I can't stand is that kind of rudeness because people have less.

"It just blows my mind when people assume things, like you know 'Give me another drink', it's just dismissive."

And Sylvester is also making sure his girls will know how to take care of themselves, even although his wife Jennifer is not a fan of that kind of thing.

He said: "The girls take boxing lessons and tae kwon do although Jennifer will have no part of it, she's tough enough."

Living in such domestic bliss it is no wonder it took Sylvester so long to make another Rocky film - the last one being released 16 years ago.

It is not as if he has been short of work in the intervening years with roles in films such as Get Carter, Spy Kids 3-D and the critically acclaimed Cop Land.

And he did say at one point that he would never make another film about the tormented boxer.

But eventually it was his own personal disappointment over Rocky 5 which pushed him to finally agreeing to take on the legendary role once again.

He said: "I know Rocky 5 disappointed a lot of people.

"I felt the same way about it and that was gnawing away at me every time people said to me they liked the first four but that last one... well.

"So years passed, I changed lifestyles, I got married, had beautiful daughters and just spent time leading a different life.

"So when the option of Rocky came up I thought the time was right to do another one, just to make sure it was finished properly. That's just what life is like.

"You sit there, get your education, raise your family, you get all the wisdom and finally feel like you are ready to take on the world, only to discover it's too late.

"Now you are too old for the job or you know there is a certain time you should retire by.

"So the smarter we are the less opportunities we are afforded. Still, once you hit 60 you feel pretty good, trust me."

There is one thing which continues to bemuse the contented star, however - the antics of his mother on reality show Celebrity Big Brother.

When asked what he thought about it, all he could do was grimace, sigh loudly and pull a face.

Undeniably the actions of a man who will never truly understand his own very outgoing mother.

Rocky Balboa will be released in the UK in April 2007.

'Things just wear out. All those years of heavy leg lifting now mean everything hurts'

CAPTION(S):

PACKING A PUNCH: Sylvester Stallone is back in the ring, 16 years after the last Rocky movie was released, for the sixth film in the boxing series, Rocky Balboa ROCKY 6' THE ORIGINAL