The Oscar-winning actress says her 'cheeks were too fat, legs were too short, breasts too big'
Dame Helen Mirren says she used to hate her much-admired curves, because she did not look like Twiggy.
The Oscar-winning actress, 72, said when she rose to fame in the '60s the British model’s slender look was being celebrated.
She told Allure magazine: “It was the time of Twiggy, and I did not look like a twig.
“My cheeks were too fat, legs were too short, breasts too big.”
Dame Helen said later in life she started to understand why people thought of her as sexy.
“I could see why — when I got far enough back from my young self — they called me sexy in those days,” she said.
“I fell into the cliche of sexiness: blonde hair, tits, waist, which I hated at the time because it was not fashionable.
“You had to be thin and have a cigarette and only wear black. And I just never fit into that look.”
The Queen star also spoke about feminism in the wide-ranging interview, revealing her idea of what the term meant had changed over the years.
She said: “I wasn’t into the very didactic feminism of the 60s and 70s because I liked wearing make-up and high heels.
“That was a no-no. It was sort of ‘That’s playing to the patriarchy.’
“I was thinking, ‘Well, I just really like it’.
“Then as feminism developed, they realised you can like nice dresses, high-heeled shoes, and make-up.
“That’s not stopping you from being feminist.”
Asked if she had any advice for her younger self, Dame Helen said it would be to stop being so 'bloody polite' and to say 'f*** off' more.
