Helen Mirren: 'Why didn't hackers try find naked selfies of me?'

British actress Helen Mirren. Photo / AP

Dame Helen Mirren has told how she was 'insulted' not to have been a victim of the iCloud hacking which saw 101 female celebrities have their nude and explicit photos leaked online.

The 69-year-old actress, who won an Oscar for her portrayal in The Queen (2006), said she was disappointed not to be among those targeted because "you weren't anybody if your phone hadn't been hacked".

Her comments come after nude images of up to 101 famous faces including Hunger Games actress Jennifer Lawrence, model Cara Delevingne and former Downton Abbey star Jessica Brown Findlay were circulated on the internet.

In an interview with Magic FM, to be broadcast tomorrow, Dame Helen said: "I was rather insulted my phone wasn't hacked, actually.

"I kept desperately looking at the list of people whose phones were hacked, hoping to see my name.

"Who on earth would put nude photos of themselves on their phone anyway? That I don't quite get."

However, she also described the hacking as "infantile" and "offensive", saying: "It's insulting and stupid to hack phones.

"The best thing is to be superior and not take it too seriously."

Her comments come after she questioned earlier in the week whether privacy was something of the past for A-list celebrities.

As she walked the red carpet at the premiere of upcoming movie, The Hundred-Foot Journey, at the Curzon Mayfair in London on Wednesday, she said: "I think privacy is almost a thing of the past, isn't it? It's been a thing of the past for a while."

She later added: "I think we're all in a learning curve about what is appropriate to put on your phone and what isn't and I think people will be far more careful in the future.

"And also I think the protections will get stronger, I presume."

It comes after Hollywood actress Cameron Diaz, who is currently promoting a new film about a homemade sex tape going public, described the leak of explicit images as "a major violation".

The 42-year-old said members of the public should consider how they would feel if they had been targeted and said: "If these guys can do it to this group of people then everyone's vulnerable to it."

Compromising images of dozens of celebrities emerged online last Sunday after hackers gained access to their iCloud accounts and stole their pictures.

Apple said it was 'outraged' by the attacks, and said they were the result of "a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions".

In a statement, the technology giant said: "When we learned of the theft, we were outraged and immediately mobilised Apple's engineers to discover the source. Our customers' privacy and security are of utmost importance to us.

"After more than 40 hours of investigation, we have discovered that certain celebrity accounts were compromised by a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions, a practice that has become all too common on the Internet.

"None of the cases we have investigated has resulted from any breach in any of Apple's systems including iCloud or Find my iPhone.

"We are continuing to work with law enforcement to help identify the criminals involved."

Apple has now advised worried customers to update their accounts with a 'strong' password and enable two-step verification.

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said it was "aware of the allegations concerning computer intrusions and the unlawful release of material involving high-profile individuals, and is addressing the matter".

Other stars said to have been affected include Avril Lavigne, Cat Deeley and Rihanna, with actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead, whose movies include A Good Day To Die Hard, already acknowledging pictures in which she is featured are genuine.

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- Daily Mail