Having found worldwide fame in the Eighties soap opera Dynasty, Dame Joan Collins now has another role she's passionate about: being a grandmother. The actress is mother to son Alexander Newley and daughters Tara Newley and Katyana Kass, and reveals that her four grandchildren – Miel, Weston, Ava and Deia – have an affectionate name for her.
"I'm DJ [Dame Joan] to the grandkids," she tells HELLO! in this exclusive interview. "I love to be with them and I pay [them] a lot of attention."
It's this love of children that drew Joan, 92, to her role as vice-president of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, which helps babies, children and young people living with life-limiting conditions, as well as their families.
"The children always give me beautiful handmade cards"
© Getty ImagesJoan has backed the charity since 2003 and is the first guest on Shooting Star's new podcast, featuring a series of conversations with the charity’s famous supporters. Each guest has donated a personal item to help to raise vital funds; Joan has given a Valentino clutch bag.
"It's the number one charity close to my heart," she says. "I visit at least once a year and have tea with the families," she adds. "We take pictures, we talk and the children always give me beautiful handmade cards. They're very inspirational, both the children and the parents," she says.
Joan, who is married to her fifth husband – the film producer Percy Gibson, who is 32 years her junior – says she has a lust for life that she believes is genetic. "My father was pretty full of life, and he lived to be 86," she says.
© GettyThe actress is best known for her role as Alexis Colby in Dynasty: is there any truth in the rumours that there was a real-life feud between Joan and her co-star Linda Evans, who portrayed her on-screen rival Krystle Carrington? "No; it was our characters – and just because we didn't socialise," she says.
Joan is also a collector of costume jewellery and often donates personal pieces to Shooting Star’s auctions. "The charity needs to raise at least £12m a year and it relies on donations," she says. "Families and children come to us for help, which we give."
The Shooting Star Podcast will be available this spring on all major podcast platforms. For updates, follow @sschospices or visit shootingstar.org.uk
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