Dame Helen Mirren “misses” being a Londoner “so much”.
Dame Helen Mirren
The ‘Duke’ actress has been in America with her husband Taylor Hackford since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and she’s upset that she is unlikely to return to their home in England for at least another year.
Discussing the new kitchen she had installed in her London home in February and hasn’t yet seen, she said: “I think it will be a year before I do. I miss being in England so much.
“I miss my neighbours, I miss my sister, I miss my house. I miss, you know, getting on a bus, getting on a Tube, going to an art gallery, going to the theatre, having a drink in a nice bar. It all seems a long way away and a long time ago. I just really miss being a Londoner.”
One positive about the lockdown period is Helen has been able to spend more time with her husband in one place than ever before.
She admitted: “It has been sort of wonderful, just to have a normal life”.
The 75-year-old star took on US citizenship in 2017 but would never have done so if she had to relinquish her UK citizenship.
She told The Times newspaper: “I am a dual citizen, let me put that out there. I would never have become an American citizen if I had to give up my British citizenship.”
Once restrictions have lifted and the veteran actress can return to the UK, she’s keen to get back out on stage.
She said: “This lockdown has made me realise just how important live theatre is to all of us, but especially to us in Britain. It’s such a profound part of our cultural identity. I love movies, but there is nothing like that experience.”
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