Dame Joan Collins has spoken about her heartbreak over sister Jackie Collins' death, admitting that she finds the subject difficult to talk about.
Best-selling author Jackie Collins passed away in September at the age of 77, after a secret seven-year battle with cancer. And Joan revealed that only Jackie’s daughters were aware of the diagnosis as she did not want any pity from her friends and family.
Jackie Collins only let her sister know she was battling breast cancer three weeks before her death
Appearing on The Jonathan Ross show, the 82-year-old revealed she only found out about her sister’s breast cancer battle three weeks before she passed away. Her death came as a shock, as the family had all planned to travel to Hawaii together this Christmas.
"It was quite a blow," Joan told the chat show host. "I'm still suffering. It’s difficult for me to talk about really."
She admitted: "I still haven’t processed it totally and I think that grief, great grief is something that takes a while to process and you never get over it, you just learn to live with it."
Joan will hold a party in honour of her late sister
The Dynasty actress spoke of her awe of her “phenomenal” sister, who continued to work and travel the world up until her death, and denied that they had become estranged. She did, however, admit that the pair drifted apart for a time when she dated someone whom Jackie did not approve of.
In the final years the siblings were closer than ever and the author adored Percy Gibson, Joan's husband since 2002.
The star is now planning on celebrating her late sister’s life with a party held in Los Angeles. "That's what she wanted," Joan revealed. "She planned to have 100 of her friends come to her house and celebrate and have a big party. She loved giving parties."
Joan became a Dame earlier this year
The Golden Globe winner also spoke about Prince Charles, who presided over her investiture as a Dame in March. Admitting that she had never imagined she would receive the honour, the ever-glamorous actress said: "He was very nice to me… he said 'about time too' which I thought was rather fabulous."
Dame Joan revealed that she almost missed out on her career-defining role as Alexis Colby in Dynasty, as she was the producers’ fourth choice. Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren were both approached before her, but producer Aaron Spelling fought to get Joan.
"When my agent called me and said they want you for Dynasty I said, 'What’s that? Is it a chinese restaurant?' Joan revealed. "It was unheard of in England!"