Helen Mirren Says She and Ex Liam Neeson Were Not Meant to Be Together

Helen Mirren is speaking openly about her relationship with Liam Neeson.

Mirren, 77, and Neeson, 70, dated from 1980 to 1985 but in an interview with AARP, she admitted that although they did "love each other," they were better off as friends, not lovers.

"We were not meant to be together in that way, but we loved each other very, very much," she said. "I love him deeply to this day. He's such an amazing guy."

The topic came about after Mirren shared that, as a sign of affection, she would make clothing for her partners, including Neeson, who she met while filming the medieval fantasy film "Excalibur," which debuted in 1981.

"I went through a phase of making men's shirts," she told the outlet. "All my boyfriends had to have a shirt made by me. … I did make one for Liam."

Mirren previously opened up about their relationship in 2017, when she appeared on Britain's "The Graham Norton Show."

"We didn't date, we lived together for four years — we were a serious item for a while," said Mirren, according to People. "Lucky me!"

Elsewhere in Mirren's AARP feature, she spoke about the changes she has seen in herself over the years.

"The thoughts that you have when you're 16, you have exactly the same thoughts when you're 76, which is very annoying," she said. "And every year, I make the same New Year's resolutions: I will not procrastinate. And every year, I procrastinate. I will be more communicative. And every year, I fail to be communicative. Certain character failings stay with you forever, it seems to me."

Mirren added: "But in another way, we change totally. I mean, I am a completely different person compared to the person I was at 22 or 23. Even your skin changes. Your body changes. How you think changes."

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