Helen Mirren named the new face of L'Oreal

She is living proof that age need be no barrier to glamour. And Dame Helen Mirren's enviable appearance has now earned her a high-profile new role.

The 69-year-old actress is unveiled today as the new face of L'Oreal.

In a coup for the older woman, she will represent the cosmetics brand alongside celebrities less than half her age, including pop singer Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, 31, model Lara Stone, 30, and Hollywood actress Blake Lively, 27.

Dame Helen, the Oscar-winning star of The Queen, may not seem the most likely candidate to join the ranks of L'Oreal's leading ladies.

In addition to her age, she has admitted to often cutting her own hair and claims to visit the hairdresser only once a year. She has also confessed to doing little exercise, having said in the past: 'I don't do much of anything.'

But whatever it is she does do, it has clearly worked and now she finds herself representing L'Oreal alongside fellow actresses Eva Longoria, 39, Jennifer Lopez, 45, and Andie MacDowell, 56.

The company usually offers contracts to younger personalities - other than the graceful Jane Fonda, 76, the only L'Oreal ambassador of comparable age to Dame Helen is Diane Keaton, 68.

Equally, Dame Helen is a rare British face for the brand, with only actor Hugh Laurie, 55, and Mrs Fernandez-Versini representing Britain in the list of ambassadors on the company's website.

The contract is likely to be lucrative for the actress, who is worth an estimated £9million and is married to American film director Taylor Hackford, also 69.

Dame Helen, who has previously described aging as the 'adventure of life', has found a new level of success late in her career and commented that she feels happier now than when she was younger.

'The weird thing is you get more comfortable in yourself, even as time is giving you less reason for it,' she said.

'When you're young and beautiful, you're paranoid and miserable. And then you're older and it's ironic really.'

She has said that since reaching adulthood her weight has constantly fluctuated from being just under nine stone to just under ten.

The actress once joked that her years performing on the stage have taught her how to 'hold my tummy in'.

She has also said she eats 'healthily but not that healthily ... as anyone who saw me munching a burger will know'.

- Daily Mail