HELEN MIRREN

She's the epitome of self-assuredness and cool and, at 80, more in demand than ever. But in this exclusive interview, we meet the real Helen Mirren, the woman behind the confident façade.

-  TIFFANY DUNK

• We all struggle with self-worth'

When a young New York copywriter by the name of Ilon Specht sat down to try to come up with a slogan for a new hair dye ad in 1971, she was enraged at the idea that beauty was only valuable if it captured a man’s gaze. In the space of five minutes, she had come up with four words which would shift the beauty industry and continue to be a catchcry for L’Oréal Paris today: “Because I’m worth it”.

As Ilon was making waves, so too was a young woman across the pond in London. Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironov, as she was christened, was beginning what was already looking to be a spectacular career.

She'd started out in the National Youth Theatre at 18, under the more Anglicised name of Helen Mirren (her father had changed their surname when she was 10). The Royal Shakespeare Company soon came knocking, as did the world of film.

Little did she know that five decades later, at the age of 69, she would be tapped to be the one speaking those powerful words — albeit “I’m” having been swapped out for “you're.”

“I mean, what a wonderful and extraordinary message,” the actress tells The Weekly now of Ilon’s words, which continue to rally women to believe in their worth and raise their self-confidence. “It’s extraordinarily profound in a simple way.”

Her appointment as a L’Oréal Paris ambassador was met with applause. Having been awarded the title of Dame in 2003, Helen Mirren embodies the strong, genuine, confident and effortlessly glamorous woman with a twinkle in her eye we all aspire to be.

“I am not gorgeous and I never was, but I was always okay looking and I’m keen to stay that way,” she said at the time. “I hope I can inspire other women toward greater confidence by making the most of their natural good looks.”