Oscar-winner Helen Mirren (76) is encouraging women to ‘age disgracefully’

Dame Helen Mirren is proof that you’re only as young as you feel.

The legendary actress stunned at the Venice International Film Festival as she sashayed down the red carpet in a glittering silver gown.

Helen, who recently celebrated her 76^th birthday, was accompanied by her husband of 24 years, Taylor Hackford, and had a whale of the time.

She danced in the rain with actor Vin Diesel (54) and showed off her moves with rapper Megan Thee Stallion (26).

Although she has endless energy and a figure to die for, Helen has a unique approach to aging.

“It’s much better to age disgracefully,” the Oscar-winning actress told Vogue.

“Take it on the chin and roll with it. You die young, or you get older. There is nothing in between. You may as well enjoy it.”

The actress enjoying a dance in the rain with her Fast and Furious co-star, Vin Diesel. (PHOTO: Instagram/ @helenmirren)

But that doesn’t mean Helen doesn’t make an effort to eat healthily and stay in shape.

The Fast and the Furious star says when it comes to food, it’s all about balance.

“I’m just like everyone else – I’m always on a diet,” she says. “I've never done anything to excess. I've never drunk or eaten too much. It helps to stay balanced.”

She also follows a decades old exercise that was designed by the Royal Canadian Air Force for its female members. The regime, which has been around since the 60s, is just 12 minutes long.

“Each day you have to do [a set of] exercises within the 12 minutes and until you can, you can’t move up [a level],” she explains.

An energetic Helen bounces barefoot down a runway at Paris Fashion Week in 2018. (PHOTO: Instagram/ @helenmirren)

She’s done the exercises “on and off” her entire life, Helen adds.

“It just gently gets you fit. Two weeks of doing that and you think, ‘Yeah, I could go to the gym now’.”

For Helen, accepting her age goes deeper than just embracing her outward appearance. There are valuable lessons and experiences that come with getting older, she believes.

“My mother once said, ‘Never worry about getting older. I know the thought of you being 45 when you’re 25 is, oh my god! Who wants to be 45? But it’s amazing because when you get to be 45, you’ll realise it’s actually very cool and you don’t want to be 25 again,’” she says.

“And I have to say, she was absolutely right. With every age comes advantages and disadvantages. And you tend to find that you don’t want to go back. You want to be exactly where you are with everything you’ve experienced.”