There's nothing like a dame - especially if she is former south Essex schoolgirl Helen Mirren.

The star of stage, television and cinema is tomorrow due to become a dame in the Queen's birthday honours.

The Prime Suspect star has been famed for stripping in movies and on television.

Millions are expected to see her nude in her latest movie, Calendar Girls, which tells the true story of a Women's Institute group who appear in a nude calendar to raise money for a local hospital.

Twice nominated for an Oscar, Helen, 57, began her early years in Westcliff, attending St Bernard's High School and later working for Kursaal amusement park.

Published Friday, June 13, 2003

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