Salma Hayek claims it is a "miracle" she has a career as she is "dyslexic, short and chubby".

The 46-year-old actress has appeared in a series of hit movies, most recently Oliver Stone's  Savages. Salma feels lucky to have enjoyed such success in Hollywood, insisting the odds have always been against her.

"It's a miracle that I am still working," she said in an interview with Harper's Bazaar. "I don't think you can get more to the bottom of the ladder than a Mexican or an Arab my father is Lebanese and the worst thing you can be in Hollywood is a woman and over 40.

"On top of that, I have an accent, am dyslexic, short and chubby. I must be the luckiest girl in the world to be working."

Salma is known for her curvaceous figure and the star has no interest in slimming down. She refuses to stick to strict diets and has embraced her body.

"And you know what? You look miserable," she said about people who follow rigid eating plans. "The truth is I just don't have the drive to be the prettiest and the thinnest. I can be happy for other people for their beauty. Learn to be happy for others and you can never run out of happiness."