(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Dame Helen Mirren insists she is a "great advice giver".

The British actress often hands out wise words to her family and friends. Even though her loved ones appreciate it, the 66-year-old sometimes prefers not to get involved.

"I am a great advice giver! Well I think I am, and the people who confide in me usually say it is great advice," she told Good Housekeeping magazine.

"Sometimes people are in a pickle and there's nothing you can say. Life is kind of random and accidental, and advice is not the easiest thing to give you might as well just throw a coin."

Helen always tries to remain positive about what life throws at her.

The Oscar winning beauty says not every decision she makes can be the right one.

"Follow your instinct and have an optimistic point of view," she mused when asked what her philosophy in life is. "You learn that later in life.

"It's a hard thing to do, because sometimes your instinct is totally wrong. Some professional decisions you make can be flawed. But you make so many three or four every year. You can't go through a career without making them. Inevitably, you make a few mistakes." (C) Cover Media