Helen Mirren confesses she loves ‘amazing’ Liam Neeson ‘deeply to this day’

Dame Helen Mirren has confessed that she still loves “amazing” Liam Neeson “deeply to this day” over three decades after she and her former partner went their separate ways.

Just weeks after Helen Mirren wowed with her stunning white hair and on-trend headband at The American French Film Festival, the Oscar-winning actor has opened up about a long-ago romance from her past. Ahead of the release of the Yellowstone 1923 prequel which stars both Helen and Star Wars icon Harrison Ford, she has discussed filming the neo-Western series. 

And that’s not all she opened up about as Helen Mirren’s candid confession about her relationship with Liam Neeson saw her reveal that she still very much cares about him, albeit not "in that way".  

Speaking to AARP, Dame Helen revealed that even after all this time she “love[s] him deeply”. So much so, that he’s one of just a few people in the world to have a shirt made by her. 

Asked whether he was one of the lucky recipients of a handmade shirt Helen replied, “I did make one for Liam, oddly enough”, before pausing thoughtfully. 

It was then that The Queen star confessed, “We loved each other. We were not meant to be together in that way, but we loved each other very, very much. I love him deeply to this day. He’s such an amazing guy.”

Dame Helen Mirren’s candid confession about Liam Neeson comes four years after the former couple were reunited on the iconic red couch of the Graham Norton Show. They appeared to promote their latest projects at the time but talk soon turned to their romantic past together as host Graham revealed they’d dated.

“We didn’t date. We lived together!” Helen clarified, before Liam affirmed the serious nature of their relationship by admitting they’d done so for four years. 

Helen continued, “We were a serious item for a while, yeah.” 

“I remember Ciaran Hinds and myself, we did this film Excalibur together. In 1980”, said Liam as Helen said it was a first movie for all of them. “But I remember being out at the set, this was Ardmore studios. Dublin. And Helen had a break - she was filming - but she was in costume. We were there but we hadn’t started work yet. And the first AD or the second AD said, ‘Would you like to meet Helen Mirren?’.”

It was then that the two former partners finally met and Liam explained humorously, “She walked from like a hundred yards away dressed as Morgana Le Fey and Ciaran’s my oldest friend and we both went, ‘F***.’ So I was smitten.”

“I never knew that, you’ve never told me that before, that’s amazing,” Helen replied.

Their appearance together was a joyful one and her recent comments about still “loving him deeply” all these years later suggest that as a friend, Liam Neeson still holds a special place in Helen Mirren’s heart. 

How long were Helen Mirren and Liam Neeson in a relationship?

Helen Mirren and Liam Neeson were together for four years after meeting on the Excalibur set in 1981 before the two acting greats went their separate ways in 1895. Following the end of their relationship, Dame Helen went on to meet and marry her husband, director Taylor Hackford. 

They will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in December 2022 and Helen Mirren is stepmother to his children, the late Rio Hackford, and Alexander Hackford. 

Meanwhile, Liam Neeson married actor Natasha Richardson, sister of actor Joely Richardson and daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and Tony Richardson, in 1994.

The couple had two sons together, Micheál and Daniel, who are now 27 and 26. Tragically, Natasha passed away in 2009 and Liam has been a widower ever since and hasn't remarried.