One of the most memorable female Bond stars of all time has called for an end to the famous "Bond girl" label.

Honor Blackman was 38 when she played badass crime boss Pussy Galore opposite Sean Connery's 007 in Goldfinger and has put up with being branded a Bond "girl" since the 1964 film.

Now 90, she made the request in a column for the Daily Mirror, ahead of the release of Spectre.

"Stop calling us Bond girls, we are women and actresses!" she points out, adding that the male-dominated film industry is "obsessed" with women's ages.

"I just don't understand why we are still obsessed with age," she continues. "Or rather, I don't understand why MEN are still so obsessed with the age of women. Because that's really what we're talking about."

Honor goes on to question why the age of Spectre star Monica Bellucci is up for discussion, following articles dubbing the legendary Italian actress, who plays Lucia Sciarra, the "oldest ever Bond girl".

"At the age of 38 I also became the oldest Bond girl - and, boy, did people bang on about it," the Avengers star explains. "It’s wonderful that one of the leading ladies in the new 007 outing, Spectre, is taking the title from me, even if it did take more than half a century. But I also think it’s crazy that 51-year-old Monica Bellucci’s age is still causing a similar stir."

In an interview with the same paper, Bellucci, who is four years older than 47-year-old Daniel Craig, points out such an age difference is not considered newsworthy when genders are reversed.

"Just as younger women are attracted to older men, it shouldn’t be considered strange that men in their 20s and 30s are drawn to older women," she explains.