'My horizons broadened' says Helen Mirren as she reflects that she’s 'not growing old' she’s 'growing up'

Dame Helen Mirren’s attitude to ageing couldn’t be more refreshing as she believes that her horizons have "broadened" and that she feels her age in the "fullest possible sense".

Much as we might not like to admit it, the prospect of ageing can be a somewhat complex one for some people, especially as society often seems to place pressure on us to be and look a certain way as we get older. However, if you’re ever in need of some positive affirmations about the ageing process you can always rely on the iconic Dame Helen Mirren to deliver them. The Hollywood icon embraces getting older in the most inspirational way and previously expressed her belief that we should all be "celebrating" this natural life process.

Speaking to Express.co.uk in January last year Helen described the phrase anti-ageing as "awful" and reflected that as you grow up you get to not only know yourself better, but accept and appreciate who you really are in a different way.

"It’s great to get older – it’s fantastic. You enjoy who you are, you’ve realised who you are. We should be celebrating it," the actor shared. "My mum always told me to never worry about getting older. She said, ‘Don’t worry, when you get to being 40 you don’t want to be 20 again, you’ll have gained so much more’. And it’s absolutely true all throughout life - you do lose things, but you gain so much more."

Displaying utter pragmatism, Helen remarked upon the fact that ultimately you "die young or you get old" and declared that she is "far too interested in life" to die young. Her experiences, knowledge and understanding have only increased throughout her life and the development of technology is something she’s particularly thrilled she’s got to enjoy.

"Getting older means for me, my horizons ­broadened. Every day my horizons get wider. I learn more, I have more experience. I love watching the world change, I love GPS. I love witnessing the changes in the world, it’s so exciting," she said.

As with anything, ageing isn’t without certain downsides and Helen expressed how "heartbreaking" it is to grow older, seeing war and destruction becoming a "constant". It’s then that you realise that these patterns of human behaviour don’t appear to be going anywhere, anytime soon. Nevertheless, the 79-year-old considers ageing to be an "endless adventure".

As Helen put it, "I’m not growing old, I’m growing up. I’m learning more about life and how to live it. I feel the age that I am. With all the curiosity, knowledge and fear I have about life. I feel my age but in the fullest possible sense."

Helen Mirren might be best known for her acting prowess but since 2014 she’s also been a brand ambassador for L’Oreal Paris. In her interview with Express she credited L’Oreal with disposing of the term ‘anti-ageing’ in their campaigns and at the 2024 L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth Honoree celebration last year she spoke to People about what a lovely "surprise" it was to be asked to be an ambassador a decade earlier. In her view, it reflects a change in attitudes and this is something we can all admire.

"When [the opportunity] arrived on my doorstep, it was a great surprise because I was 70, actually," she shared. "And that doesn't often happen, but it was very much a mark of the change in attitudes, the change in time, the kinds of advances that women had made over the years. So I was surprised. I was very excited and honored and pleased as well."