Helen thought OBE letter was an unpaid bill

ACTRESS Helen McCrory said she nearly missed out on receiving her OBE – because she mistook the letter for an unpaid bill for her husband, Damian Lewis.

The Peaky Blinders star, who collected the honour for services to drama from the Queen at Buckingham Palace, said she was hours away from missing the acceptance deadline.

The 49-year-old (above) explained: “They thought I hadn’t got the letter and I was actually phoned at home to be asked if I was going to be accepting the honour.

“I hadn’t opened it, I thought it was something else for my husband and thought ‘Oh God, he hasn’t paid something again’.

“It was sitting in his office and they said ‘It’s your last day to accept it, would you like to accept it?’

“I said ‘My gosh, of course, how fantastic’.”

Helen said she was “excited” and “elated” to get her gong from the Queen. 51 per cent of British women under 50 have never been married.