Hollywood icon Helen Mirren, 77, has opened up about her past relationship with fellow film star Liam Neeson, 70. The couple were together for four years over thirty years ago, but the Queen actress revealed it was “not meant to be”, despite describing her ex as “amazing”.
Discussing her penchant for making custom shirts for her boyfriends, Helen admitted: “I did make one for Liam, oddly enough. We loved each other. We were not meant to be together in that way, but we loved each other very, very much.
“I love him deeply to this day. He’s such an amazing guy,” the esteemed actress shared in a previous interview with AARP The Magazine.
The former couple have previously discussed their enduring bond during a reunion on The Graham Norton Show. During their appearance on the show in 2018, they seemed delighted to reminisce about their past romance.
When host Graham, 59, probed the Collateral Beauty star about their relationship, she didn’t hesitate to label herself as “lucky” for having been in a relationship with the Oscar-nominated actor.
She enthused: “We didn’t date, we lived together for four years. We were a serious item for a while. Lucky me!”
Liam chimed in: “Before I met her and we worked together I had read somewhere that if she fancied a guy she would imitate his walk behind his back and I turned around one day and she was doing that to me.”
The Taken star has candidly revealed he was “smitten” with Helen Mirren after their first encounter on the set of the 1981 film Excalibur.
Liam reminisced: “I remember being on the set and standing with Ciaran Hinds as Helen walked towards us dressed in her full Morgana Le Fey costume and we both went, ‘Oh f**k’ and I was smitten. I think Ciaran was too but I was very smitten!”
To which Helen amusingly retorted: “I never knew that. You’ve never told me that before, it’s amazing.”
However, destiny had other plans for Helen, who tied the knot with American director Taylor Hackford in 1997.
The pair’s paths crossed shortly after Helen’s star-making role in The Long Good Friday, leading to an audition with Hackford for his film White Nights.
The actress, who scooped an Academy Award for her portrayal in The Queen, once humorously speculated on how the role might have affected her marriage.
At the Gotham Awards in 2015, where she was honoured with a career tribute, Helen delivered an unforgettable acceptance speech.
She quipped: “I have to tell you a story about f*****g the queen.”
Recounting the Venice premiere of The Queen, Helen said: “When The Queen was first screened at Venice, I’d never seen it before, and neither had my husband Taylor.
“In the first scene, I’m in full regalia, and I turn and look at the camera and there’s silence in the cinema. And my husband lets out this huge laugh. So I lean over to him and say, ‘Darling, do you think you’ll ever f**k me again?'”
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