English rose Kate Beckinsale is lovely in lace for Oxford Union appearance... after revealing Pearl Harbour director's hurtful comments about her looks

She is one of the UK's most beautiful stars.

So it's perhaps no surprise that Kate Beckinsale was typically English rose when she made an appearance at Oxford University's Union, this week.

The talented actress, 42, wowed fans at the academic institution on Friday afternoon - where she formerly studied French and Russian literature.

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Stuning talent: British actress Kate Beckinsale was typically English rose when she made an appearance at Oxford University's Union, this week

Nailing casual chic, the popular performer - who is busy promoting new movie Love & Friendship - looked beautiful in her choice of attire.

This consisted of a sleeveless lace top, which featured a high collar and semi-sheer finish for a sexy-but-appropriate style.

She matched the look with a pair of skin-tight black trousers for a monochrome finish, which oozed class.  

Near-perfect! Nailing casual chic, the popular performer - who is busy promoting new movie Love & Friendship - looked beautiful in her choice of attire

Her appearance comes days after she detailed her shock at being told by Pearl Harbor's director, Michael Bay, that she may need to shed the pounds if she wanted to bag her breakout role in the 2001 movie

Wearing her hair up in a fashionably messy high ponytail, she also displayed a remarkably youthful appearance. 

Her appearance comes just days after she publicly detailed her shock at being told by Pearl Harbor's director, Michael Bay, that she may need to shed the pounds if she wanted to bag her breakout role as Lieutenant Evelyn Johnson in the 2001 movie.

Appearing on Friday night's The Graham Norton show to promote her new film Love And Friendship, Kate explained: 'I don’t think I fitted the type of actress Michael Bay, the director, had met before.

Wearing her hair up in a fashionably messy ponytail, she also displayed a remarkably youthful appearance

Looking good: The 42 year-old is enjoyed a renewed career high with her latest project, Love & Friendship

'I think he was baffled by me because my boobs weren’t bigger than my head and I wasn’t blonde. 

'I’d just had my daughter and had lost weight but was told that if I got the part I’d have to work out and I just didn’t understand why a 1940s nurse would do that.

'And then, when we were promoting the film, Michael was asked why he had chosen Ben (Affleck) and Josh (Hartnett) he said, "I have worked with Ben before and I love him and Josh is so manly and a wonderful actor". 

'And then when he was asked about me, he’d say, "Kate wasn’t so attractive that she would alienate the female audience".

'He kept saying it everywhere we went and we went to a lot of places.'

Shocking: Kate Beckinsale was told to 'work out' if she wanted to win a role in 2001 Hollywood action movie, Pearl Harbour 

Truly beautiful: The talented actress, 42, detailed her shock at being told by the movie's director, Michael Bay, that she may need to shed the pounds if she wanted to bag her breakout role as Lieutenant Evelyn Johnson

Stunning: The 42 year-old - who's currently promoting new movie Love and Friendship - made the revelation during The Graham Norton Show, which was filmed in central London on Thursday

Keep up with Kate in a dress by DSquared2

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If you've got a black tie event, school prom or wedding on the horizon then it's time to get your look sorted.

And if you're struggling to find your perfect dress then why not take inspiration from our celebrity friends? Kate Beckinsale is our muse today. The actress appeared on the Graham Norton show looking her usual beautiful self in a one shoulder maxi that's just the thing.

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The film, which documented the Japanese Navy's military strike against the US in 1941, was Kate's first major role and saw her play Nurse Lt. Evelyn Johnson.

It was only her second part in a major Hollywood film - after 1999's Brokedown Palace, which saw her and Claire Danes co-star as teenagers jailed in Thailand on drug-smuggling charges.

Since then she has appeared in more than twenty projects, including Underworld, Laurel Canyon and Everybody's Fine. 

Talking about her childhood and the amount of drive she had, she says: 'I was going through an ugly stage around seven or eight and my best friend, who was totally beautiful, came into school one day and announced she was going to be in an advert. I thought the world had ended. 

'I went home and wrote a letter saying how keen I was to be in an ad, and it had to be really soon! But I sent it to the BBC and I didn’t know they didn’t do ads!'. 

Action shot: Kate pictured in character during the 2001 film - looking virtually flawless and certainly in shape

Line-up: Matt LeBlanc, Emilia Clarke, Graham Norton, Kate Beckinsale, Dominic Cooper and Corinne Bailey Rae during the filming of the Graham Norton Show

Big break: It was only her second part in a major Hollywood film - after 1999's Brokedown Palace, which saw her and Claire Danes co-star as teenagers jailed in Thailand on drug-smuggling charges

Promoting her new movie, Love and Friendship, she also detailed a party booking that backfired.

'You used to get this free magazine with lots of ads for kissograms and I thought it would be hilarious to book a stripper – but when the stripping vicar ‘Reverent Balls’ turned up he looked like the worse serial killer – we really hadn’t thought it through. 

'There were just four of us posh 14 year-old schools girls and this man. He asked if we wanted a full strip and we all shouted ‘No!’ He flung off his pants and shouted ‘meet my friend from the mission’ and it was all tucked into a cheap red elephant thing. 

'We were completely traumatised and crying. It was very bleak. I didn’t tell my mum for at least 10 years!'.