Helen Mirren and Liam Neeson come face-to-face on The Graham Norton Show, 30 years after romance

Helen Mirren and Liam Neeson were reunited on the set of The Graham Norton Show, 30 years after their romance.

Mirren, 72, had a relationship with Schindler’s list star Neeson back in the 1980s, after meeting on the set of Excalibur, and Mirren was keen to highlight that it was more serious than just dating.

Answering Norton’s question about their relationship, Mirren said: “We didn’t date, we lived together for four years – we were a serious item for a while. Lucky me!”

Neeson, 65, revealed the moment he first saw Mirren on set and admitted he was immediately “smitten” with the star.

The actor recalled: “I remember being on the set and standing with Ciarán Hinds as Helen walked towards us dressed in her full Morgana Le Fey costume and we both went, ‘Oh f***’ and I was smitten.”

He then said that he thought Hinds was taken with Mirren as well, prompting her to laugh, saying: “I never knew that. You’ve never told me that before – it’s amazing.”

The award-winning actress appeared on the show to chat about her newest movie, Winchester, admitting she felt “quite committed” to the thriller.

Neeson, meanwhile, joined the BBC chat show to promote his new film The Commuter.

Also on the show was Fifty Shades lead man Jamie Dornan talking about the third in the trilogy’s new trailer before Sigrid performed Strangers.

The Graham Norton Show airs Friday at 10.35pm on BBC One.