Say the words ‘I’m worth it’ out loud and I defy you not to flick your hair over one shoulder, lift your chin up a fraction and give  an imaginary camera your most promising smize. Because as beauty taglines go, L’Oréal Paris’s is the most famous of them all – rising above mere slogan to be part of our everyday lexicon. This year marks its 50th year of championing and celebrating a woman’s worth – and  it’s for this anniversary that I’m granted a rare interview with one of the brand’s ambassadors, Dame Helen Mirren.

Speaking to me from her US home in Lake Tahoe, on the border of California and Nevada, where she lives with her film director husband Taylor Hackford, Helen’s mind isn’t far from her British roots. ‘There’s a major lockdown  in England, I hear? I talk to my sister frequently and my friends in London. It’s extraordinary.’

The 75-year-old Oscar-winner tells me about her life over the past year. ‘My husband and I have been married for 30-something years, you know, a very long time. But in all that time because of the nature of both of our work  we’ve always been looking at suitcases, at packing. The suitcases are always on the floor ready to be packed or unpacked. We have literally never spent this amount of time together,’ she laughs.

As I come to learn over our conversation, Helen sees the positives in most situations. ‘[The year] could have been disastrous but has actually been fantastic,’ she says. ‘It’s been really great to just sort of have what most people have. You know, normal, regular, repetitive lives, but comfortable lives. So it’s been a wonderful way for the two of us to bond, in a weird way. I think it’s been a very bonding experience.’

Read the full interview/article in our press library.