Dame Helen Mirren has revealed her no-nonsense response to men who have questioned her decision not to have children. The Oscar-winning actress, 67, said it has never been women who have challenged her childless existence, but 'only boring old men'.
In an interview with British Vogue, Mirren recalled telling such men: 'No! F*** off!' when they suggested she should 'get on with it, old girl'. She added: 'It was not my destiny. I kept thinking it would be, waiting for it to happen, but I never did, and I didn't care what people thought.'
The actress, who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in the 2007 film The Queen, is set to reprise the role in the play The Audience later this year. She admitted concerns about being typecast, saying: 'It was hard enough wriggling out of being Jane Tennison. I do sometimes think, if I die in a plane crash tomorrow, will people always think of me as The Actress Most Famous for Playing the Queen?'
Mirren, married to director Taylor Hackford since 1997, also revealed that their relationship is far from romantic. She said: 'We don't send each other Valentine's cards, and we regularly forget to mark birthdays with a present. I'd be completely horrified if Taylor gave me a Valentine's card.'
