American Horror Story, Collins was still touring the country in her one-woman show until Covid hit, still fronting fashion campaigns for the likes of Valentino and Kurt Geiger, and is about to grace both the big screen – in Vincent Woods’ festive drama The Loss Adjuster – and the small screen in José Luis Moreno’s forthcoming period TV drama series Glow & Darkness.
Not bad for a washed-up old bag.How has the Bayswater-born star endured when so many haven’t? As a friend of hers, I wonder whether it doesn’t all come down to Dame Joan’s extraordinary zest for life.