Liam Neeson hails ex Helen Mirren as a ‘remarkable woman’

Describing her as “really something else”, Neeson (70), who dated the English actress (77) between 1980 and 1985, said he was “so lucky” to have spent those year “with that lady”.

The Irish actor was speaking to Entertainment Tonight Canada, as he promoted his latest film Marlowe where he stars alongside Diane Kruger, Jessica Lange and Alan Cumming.

Noting that Mirren had previously said she still loves him “deeply”, Neeson jokingly quipped: “She got the check then.”

“Helen is a remarkable woman, a remarkable actress - I should be so lucky to have spent three, four years with that lady. She's really something else,” he said.

Last year Helen admitted in an interview: “We were not meant to be together, but we loved each other very, very much.

“I love him deeply to this day. He's such an amazing guy.”

Helen spoke to the new AARP The Magazine about some of her past loves and how they all “had to have a shirt made by me”.

She told the publication: “I did make one for Liam, oddly enough.”

Other men who own homemade shirts by Helen, include actor Peter O'Toole and her husband Taylor Hackford, who she has been married to for 25 years.

The screen star previously recalled the time she went camping with the actor, during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2019.

The British star gushed about “liking” camping with Liam and relayed the story about them two having to share a “tiny tent all day” during a rainy adventure.

Helen detailed: “I once went camping with Liam Neeson, because we used to date. We lived together for four years! (It was) Before Liam was the humongous movie star that he is today.”

Telling the story, the Catherine The Great star continued: “We went camping in this tiny little tent, the size of this table, and we drove there in this tiny little car.

“Liam is like 6 ft 4in, his head was touching the top, and he was driving like this (making a slouched body shape). We camped in this tiny little tent. It rained all day, every day. We were camping in Cornwall, then we went camping in France.

“I like camping,” Helen reiterated, before adding: 'Well, I like camping with Liam Neeson anyways, and my husband (Taylor Hackford).

Helen and Liam have spoken about their fondness for each other on various occasions over the years.

In January 2018, they both revealed they were head over heels during their four-year romance, with the Taken star even admitting it was love at first sight during their appearance on The Graham Norton Show.

Asked about their dating days, Helen was quick to insist their romance, which burned between the years of 1980 and 1985, was a lot more serious

She affirmed: “We didn’t date, we lived together for four years – we were a serious item for a while. Lucky me!”

And Liam was quick to reciprocate Helen's affections as he confessed he was instantly “smitten” with the actress when they met on the set of 1981 movie Excalibur.

He explained: “Before I met her and we worked together I had read somewhere that if she fancied a guy she would imitate his walk behind his back and I turned around one day and she was doing that to me.

“I remember being on the set and standing with Ciarán Hinds as Helen walked towards us dressed in her full Morgana Le Fey costume and we both went, "Oh f**k" and I was smitten.'

Liam also admitted he had to battle off his fair share of competitors to win Helen's heart.

"I think Ciarán was too but I was very smitten!'” to which Helen responded: “I never knew that. You’ve never told me that before – it’s amazing.”

Eight years after his relationship with Helen, Liam met his wife, Natasha Richardson, who tragically passed away following a freak skiing accident in 2009.

The couple had two children, Micheál, now aged 22, and Daniel, 21, during their 15-year marriage.