PASADENA, Calif. --

Courteney Cox Arquette has no problem with being called a cougar.

“I’ve been blazing that trail for ten years,” she told reporters on Saturday at a Television Critics Association panel in Pasadena, Calif., to promote her upcoming ABC comedy, “Cougar Town,” which premieres this fall.

“David [Arquette] is much younger than me,” she continued of her 37-year-old husband. “I think it’s great to be a cougar, if that’s what they’re called. I just don’t know what the term is for a man who dates a younger woman.”

In one scene from the actress’ new show, clips of which were shown on Saturday, Courteney, as her character Jules — a 40-year-old real estate agent — strips down to just her underwear after bringing home a toy boy. In another scene, she shows off her perfectly flat stomach by flipping up her shirt and Courteney revealed she didn’t use a body double for any of the moments.

“That is me and I’ve been doing that forever… David’s always saying that to me, ‘Courteney, please put your shirt down and stop showing everyone your belly,’” she laughed. “Once I had a kid, I was fascinated by that whole thing so I do, do that and I do have that skin… I was lit really well. People don’t look the way they look on TV in real life.”

Although she is 45 now, Courteney said she didn’t experience any typical feelings associated with turning 40, her character’s age.

“When I turned 40 I was laying in bed with [my daughter] Coco. I just had her two days before…” she said. “Being 40 is hard for women. I didn’t experience that until later.”

And speaking of her daughter Coco, Courteney confirmed — after leaving the panel session — that she brings her little one to the set.

“She loves it,” Courteney said. “She does have a crush on Dan Byrd [who plays Jules’ teenage son Travis].”

While having her daughter on set has been fun, the actress will soon be spending less time with her 5-year-old, who is off to school in the fall.

“Coco’s about to start kindergarten,” Courteney said. “She’s going to [go to school] from 8-4 or 8-3 and then she’ll come to the set. It works out well.”

And like most moms who feel slight twinges when their children head off to school for the first time, Courteney too said she’s been feeling a pang or two.

“I’m kind of nervous about it,” the actress said before heading off to another interview. “But it’ll be good. She loves to be around kids her own age.”

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