Dame Helen Mirren's life has been riddled with an "endless litany of mistakes."

Dame Helen Mirren

Dame Helen Mirren

The 71-year-old actress - who has an impressive career in film and stage under her belt - feels proud of the errors and slip ups she's made throughout her life because it's allowed her to become the person, both professionally and privately, she is now.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, she said: "I've made many, many, mistakes in my life, you know. I turned down projects I should have said yes to, done projects I should have said no to, had relationships with people I shouldn't have had relationships with, got drunk at times that I shouldn't have got drunk.

"There's been an endless litany of mistakes and missteps but somehow I've stumbled into being in the right place at the right time."

However, one person she doesn't regret meeting is her husband Taylor Hackford.

She explained: "I very consciously chose my work over my relationships right up to the time that I met Taylor. I was 38 when I met him, pretty late in life. The great thing about finding a partnership later on in life is that you recognise the partnership level of this relationships as much as the love and the lust and all the rest of it."

Their busy careers mean that the couple hardly get to see each other, but they recently got to spend a few months together because they were both shooting their movies - Helen filming 'Collateral Beauty' and Taylor directing 'The Comedian' - in New York City.

She said: "It was the first time in our professional lives together that we've actually been in the same city at the same time, but working on different projects. So it was great to do what most people get to do, which is come home and say, 'Hello darling, how was your day?' That was so rare for us that it was a great experience."