Person of the Week: Helen Mirren

Every week we pick a person – senior or junior, well known or not – who’s been in the news over the past seven days. Got a nomination? Email editor@seniorplanet.org or enter your suggestion in a comment below by Thursday, August 6.

If you can’t get enough of Dame Helen Mirren, then last week was your week. The actress turned 70 and saw two new wax replicas of her unveiled at Madame Tussaud’s, London (the first was unveiled in 2010).

Plus:

• Today.com celebrated with “7 Reasons We Love the Flawless Dame” (#1. She proves that aging naturally is beautiful).
• So did Huffington Post (#1. She clearly isn’t above having fun or being silly).
• The Mirror ran 70 factoids about her life (#11. Her name at birth was Illiana Lydia Petrovna Mironova; #43: She rides the NYC subway; #46. She’s said sex in her 60s “is the best”).
• Buzzfeed upped the ante with “23 Times Helen Mirren Made You Go: ‘She’s 70?! WTF'”  (#17. When she perfectly slammed ageism in Hollywood in her awesomely Helen Mirren way).

• The Guardian listed four style tips from the “grande dame.”  (#3. She only packs underwear to take on vacation. When she lands, she heads to a thrift shop to buy her vacation outfits, then drops it all off again on the way home.)
• Inquisitr published “Five Reasons She’s Only Getting Better With Age” (#5. Helen Mirren Has No Problem Speaking Her Mind).

Speaking of… Mirren also made news last week for her response, on the live TV talk show “Good Morning Britain,” to the show’s presenters after they shut her down for using a forbidden word. Describing a camping trip she took with her ex, actor Liam Neeson, Mirren said it “pissed with rain non stop.”

Oh, my!

“You can’t say those things first thing in the morning!” a shocked Ben Shephard told Mirren, who dutifully apologized for the gaff and then – much to the presenters’ consternation – challenged them: “Why can’t you say that? It’s not very rude.”

At 70, Mirren is as as outspoken as ever. Let’s hope she never learns to keep her mouth shut.