By
Gavin Allen
Last updated at 11:59 AM on 18th December 2011
Most women half her age would steer clear of a clinging black satin dress for fear of showing up every flaw.
But Dame Helen Mirren managed to look stunning as she flaunted her enviable curves at charity gala Ein Herz fur Kinder (A Heart for Children) in Berlin.Â
The 66-year-old still looks as good as she did three years ago when she was snapped in her bikini while holidaying in Puglia, on the southern tip of Italy.
Heart: Dame Helen Mirren arrives for the ‘Ein Herz fuer Kinder’ (A Heart for Children) telethon in Berlin
Slimming: The actress attended along with other celebrities including Princess Charlene of Monaco
The shots of her in the red two-piece were splashed across the world’s newspapers but the star recently said the photographs will haunt her for the rest of her life.
She said that ‘bloody photograph’ was a lie ‘because I don’t actually look like that and I know that it’s going to haunt me forever and I’ll be forever trying to bury it unsuccessfully’.
A Heart for Children is an annual event where celebrities get together to raise money for children across the world.
Support: Mirren has said the photographs of her in a bikini will haunt her for the rest of her life
Mirren was joined by a host of other celebrities including world boxing champions Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, Boris and Lilly Becker and Princess Charlene of Monaco.
Charlene,
who married Prince Albert of Monaco in May, was the recipient of the
Golden Heart award.
The
award was in recognition of her work teaching poor
or disabled children to swim in her native South Africa and worldwide,
via her Foundation Princess Charlene.
Grateful: Helen Mirren addresses the crowd, thanking them for supporting the cause which helped raise £14m euros for children in need
The former Olympic swimmer was handed
the trophy-style award by her good friend Franziska van Almsick, a
former world swimming champion.
Before
announcing Princess Charlene’s name, Miss van Almsick paid tribute to
her friend’s commitment to her cause, allied to her humility.
Friendly face: Princess Charlene (left) was presented with the award by the former world swimming champion Franziska van Almsick
Congrats: Princess Charlene embraces former German swimmer Franziska van Almsick, after receiving her award, and makes a speech while accepting the gong, right
Charlene, who until that point had been a picture of composure in a strapless deep wine-coloured gown, was visibly moved.
‘I accept this award with pride and joy in the name of the volunteers who work so hard,’ she said in her speech, according to German newspaper Bild.
‘Tonight it comes to children. The rescue of these children is a struggle and we can not afford to lose him.’
Glitz and glam: Princess Charlene wore a strapless wine-coloured gown to the event, where she enjoyed the company of her friend and fellow former swimmer Franziska von Almsick
Since the event’s inception in 1978 as Bild’s charity, it has collected more than over 170 million euros for children’s charities, both in Germany and Internationally.This year it raised a whopping £14million euros.
The ceremony represented another high-profile outing for Princess Charlene, who recently appeared on U.S. television’s The Today Show with her husband to speak about the rumours that surrounded their wedding.
There was talk of Charlene, 33, being a reluctant and even runaway bride, as well as controversy over a paternity test for Albert.
But Charlene called suggestions that she was reluctant to marry the 53-year-old ‘hilarious’.
She said: ‘Why would we go to all this effort, to have this fantastic couple of days, and have our most intimate and dearest friends come and join us, for us to be reluctant.’
Originally posted here:
Helen Mirren dazzles in black satin dress at charity event