Helen Mirren issues four-word verdict on romance with Liam Neeson

Irish Daily Mirror

01-06-2025

Hollywood legend Helen Mirren, 77, has candidly reflected on her bygone romance with cinema heavyweight Liam Neeson, 70. The duo, who shared a four-year love story over three decades ago, have since acknowledged that their relationship was "not meant to be" even though Mirren fondly recalls Neeson as "amazing".
While discussing her unique habit of crafting custom shirts for her beaus, Helen confessed: "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 distinguished actress divulged in a heartfelt chat with AARP The Magazine.
The ex-lovers have openly spoken about their lasting connection, which was evident during a heartwarming get-together on The Graham Norton Show. Their 2018 appearance on the program saw them joyfully reflecting on their former flame.
When the show's host, Graham, 59, inquired about their past liaison, Mirren didn't shy away from expressing how "lucky" she felt to have been involved with the Academy Award-nominated star, reports the Express.
She gushed: "We didn't date, we lived together for four years. We were a serious item for a while. Lucky me!".
Liam added his own charming anecdote: "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 star of Taken opened up about being utterly enchanted by Helen Mirren from the moment they met on the set of the 1981 flick Excalibur.
Liam nostalgically shared: "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!".
Which prompted an entertaining comeback from Helen: "I never knew that. You've never told me that before, it's amazing."
Yet fate had its own agenda for Helen, who ended up marrying American filmmaker Taylor Hackford in 1997.
The two encountered each other shortly after Helen's breakthrough performance in The Long Good Friday, culminating in an audition with Hackford for his movie White Nights.
The acclaimed actress, an Oscar winner for her role in The Queen, once amusingly pondered how playing this character may have influenced her nuptials.
At the 2015 Gotham Awards where she received a lifetime achievement recognition, Helen captured everyone's attention with her speech.
With her wit, she remarked: "I have to tell you a story about f------ the queen."
During the Venice Film Festival showing of The Queen, Helen recounted: "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?'".