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Published 22:23 IST, November 21st 2019

On Helen's 81st Birthday, here's some facts you didn't know about the star

Here are all the lesser-known facts about the dancing queen of Bollywood Helen. She is an actor and dancer who was also honoured with the Padma Shri award.

Reported by: Kashmira Patil
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In the list of the popular dancers of Bollywood, Helen's name will never be left out of that list. Helen Anne Richardson was born on November 21 in the year 1938. The actor was born in Rangoon, Burma in Mayanmar. This year Halen celebrated her 81st birthday. Not many people know that the initial phase has been quite a struggle for the former dancer. Here are some lesser-known facts about Helen.

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Halen's father George Desmire was an Anglo-Indian and her mother hailed from Burma. Her brother's name was Roger and sister's name was Jennifer. Helen's father passed away at the time of the Second World War and after that, the situations in her home had reportedly gotten worse and she later had to leave the country. In an interview with a media publication, back in the year 1964, Helen had said that she was in the group of hundreds and also said that they neither had food nor money and also had no clothes on their bodies. Adding to this, she said that if someone had given them something to eat they would have eaten it. 

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Helen's mother used to work as a nurse and could not afford the house from her income, which is why Helen had to quit her studies midway and start looking for jobs to support her family. Halen married Salim Khan and became his second wife. Salim was already married to his first wife who is the mother to his sons Salman Arbaaz and Sohail Khan. Helen and Salim later adopted Arpita Khan after having no children. 

It is said that Helen met Salim Khan during the film Kaabil in 1962. At the age of 17, Helen got a big break in the film Howrah Bridge and after that, there was no looking back for her. She became a dancing queen after her popular songs like Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu and also Piya Tu Ab To Aaja. In 2009, the Government of India honoured Helen with the Padma Shri. In the year 1980, she also received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1999 for Lahu Ke Do Rang from Filmfare. 

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19:02 IST, November 21st 2019