HELEN MIRREN - THE QUEEN STAR BUYS A CASTLE

THE QUEEN Oscar winner DAME HELEN MIRREN has bought her own castle in southern Italy. The 60-year-old actress has paid $1.25 million (GBP680,000) for the run-down 500-year-old estate in Puglia, which is within walking distance to the Mediterranean Sea. Mirren and director husband TAYLOR HACKFORD have met with locals and officials to finalise the purchase, but builders claim the star will have to spend to least $1 million (GBP550,000) restoring the castle and making it fit for habitation.