Joan Collins shocked the world when she recently confessed to being drugged and raped by her first husband.
But she managed to bounce back, and the 81-year-old star of “Dynasty” opened up about her still-steamy sex life and the secrets of her ageless beauty in an exclusive interview with The National ENQUIRER at her Los Angeles home.
As for British film star Maxwell Reed, who she said assaulted her when she was just 17, Joan declared: “I only married him because I was so embarrassed that he had taken my virginity.”
The actress is now on her fifth husband and described her life today as “that of a gypsy,” since she divides her time among homes in the south of France, London and Los Angeles.
“I’ve lived in L.A. since I was 20, so winters I like to spend here,” she said of her Tinseltown pad, which features her collection of personal photographs, including pictures “Lots of actors cover their walls in photos,” said Joan, who displays photos of herself, her family, Queen Elizabeth and the late Princess Diana.
“I’m British and very patriotic and I love our queen. She can do no wrong. I was very fond of Princess Diana. She was always kind to me.”
And then there’s Joan’s iconic Andy Warhol portrait.
“Warhol’s people called me during ‘Dynasty,’ saying Andy wanted to photograph me and do a limited amount of portraits, so we shot when I was in New York,” Joan recalled.
“Andy was quiet. He didn’t speak. He just kept telling me to tease my hair back. ‘Bigger, bigger!’ he’d say.”
Joan’s favorite room is her bedroom, and she admitted she regularly steams up the sheets with hubby Percy Gibson, a theatrical company manager who’s 32 years her junior! “Sex does get better as you get older, and obviously one is not living a celibate life when one is married to a gorgeous, young South American,” she cooed.
Her bedroom boasts spectacular views of L.A., and is decorated in pale turquoise.
“I was totally involved in the design of all of my homes. My style is individual, eclectic and Art Deco-ish,” she said.
Joan relates to her “Dynasty” character, Alexis Carrington: “I am a lot like her. I like being well-dressed and well-groomed.”
And like Alexis, she’s devoted to her children – son Sacha and daughter Tara with second husband, the late Anthony Newley, and daughter Katy with third husband, the late Ron Kass.
But Joan confessed she could have taken business lessons from Alexis. “While I was playing the role, I had a very bad time financially,” she recalled.
“My personal life was in turmoil. My husband (Ron) had a drug problem, and my youngest daughter was recovering from a very bad car accident.
“Rather stupidly during that time, I married again (to Peter Holm) and that was a mistake.
“Because ‘Dynasty’ was so time-consuming, I didn’t have time to concentrate on taxes and financial affairs. It was a very, very hard time.”
In her heyday, Joan graced the covers of more than 400 magazines, and posed for Playboy – at age 50!
“It was just like any other photo shoot I’d done,” she said.
Now into her ninth decade, an ageless Joan claimed she’s never had plastic surgery!
“I wrote six books about how to age beautifully. Do you have six hours?” she laughed.
Joan recently launched her own makeup line and has had a successful wig line for years.
“I’ve seen how actresses’ hair diminishes, so to save my hair and to save my time, I’ve always worn wigs,” she noted.
As for health and beauty advice, Joan suggested ENQUIRER readers follow a good skin care routine, and added: “Never eat too much, and always try to do some kind of exercise.”
Joan gets plenty of exercise performing in her one-woman Las Vegas show, which she’s done for the past eight years.
“I have enormous energy,” she boasted. “I am very interested in everything. I read four newspapers a day and about 10 magazines a month.
“I see every single movie and I go to the theater. I won’t be defined by my age.”
