Dame Joan Collins has spoken openly about her use of slimming pills as a young actress in Hollywood. Talking to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on Thursday’s This Morning, the Dynasty actress revealed that she lost weight as a 20-year-old starlet by taking slimming tablets Dexedrine – a central nervous system stimulant.
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Joan, 83, said: “I was given the same slimming pills as Judy Garland. When I first went I was about nine stone and the studio said you’re too fat you have to lose eight pounds, which was hard to do because I was 20 and I liked my food. They gave me these little green pills and I used them all the time and I never ate. My friend asked me what I was on and I showed her and she said, ‘Oh my god those are Dexedrine, that’s what Judy Garland got hooked on.’ I took those to slim down, they were great. I wrote a play in one night on those.”
Dame Joan Collins spoke of her use of slimming pills
Despite these pressures on her appearance as a young actress, Joan went on to gain notoriety as the glamourous Alexis Carrington in hit series Dynasty and more recently, US series The Royals, co-starring with Elizabeth Hurley. Joan also stars in upcoming film The Time of their Lives alongside Pauline Collins, a Thelma and Louise style road trip movie. Speaking to the Evening Standard this week, Joan addressed the issue of film roles for older actresses, saying: “I just don’t think there are any roles for women over the age of about 40 any more. Hopefully people will see this movie and see that there is this audience. Let’s face it, there are three million people in this country over the age of 65, and a lot of them want to go to the movies. And they don’t necessarily like guns and blood and gore, and creatures from outer space.”
Dame Joan Collins chats to Holly and Phil on This Morning
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It has been an eventful week for Joan. The actress, who has been married five times, missed out on her interview slot with Christine Bleakley on ITV’s Lorraine die to bad traffic. A true professional, she nevertheless conducted her interview by phone from her car. "Well, the traffic is unbelievable,” explained Joan, “It's two miles and it's taken me an hour and a half." Joan went on to record her chat live with presenter Christine when she did finally reach the TV studio.