AceShowbiz - Dame Helen Mirren has joined the stars who are finding positives in the coronavirus lockdown, admitting the break has allowed her to enjoy a normal life with her husband.

The actress has spent far more time with her spouse, director Taylor Hackford, at their home in Lake Tahoe, Nevada than ever before, thanks to the COVID-19 restrictions on travel and filming.

In a new interview with The Telegraph's Stella magazine, she said, "My husband and I have been married for 30-something years, you know, a very long time. But in all that time because of the nature of both of our work we've always been looking at suitcases, at packing. The suitcases are always on the floor ready to be packed or unpacked. We have literally never spent this amount of time together."

"[The year] could have been disastrous but has actually been fantastic. It's been really great to just sort of have what most people have. You know, normal, regular, repetitive lives, but comfortable lives. So it's been a wonderful way for the two of us to bond, in a weird way. I think it's been a very bonding experience."

But she feels for those struggling amid London's theater shutdown.

"It's the live performers, the ballet dancers, the singers (I feel for)," she added. "All of that world that is such a wonderful part of London has been so devastated. But it will come back with a vengeance I believe. People will be so ready for it."

Elsewhere in the interview, the "Red" actress talked about women's struggle for equal rights. "The progress of women has moved on immeasurably over the past 50 years," she admitted before adding, "But in the last year, so much has fallen on women's shoulders such as homeschooling, as well as cooking and cleaning."

"It is better than it was, but unfortunately women are still bearing the brunt, that's how it still shakes down," the 75-year-old further pointed out. "So I suspect we'll still need to say 'We're worth it' for another 50 years to come."