Dame Joan Collins, 90, found love with her fifth husband and the "most honourable man," she's ever met – Percy Gibson, in 2000. But before she crossed paths with the theatre manager and film producer, the actress had already walked down the aisle four times.
In her 2011 memoir, The World According to Joan, the star wrote: "I kissed a lot of frogs before I found my prince. "For those women who are looking for a life partner, that old saying that men are like buses and 'if you wait long enough the right one will come along' is true for a reason."
Here's everything you need to know about Joan's five husbands, some of whom you might recognise from Hollywood and the music industry…
Joan Collins' five husbands revealed
MORE: Joan Collins, 18, rocked dramatic wedding dress with first husband Maxwell Reed, 33
READ: Joan Collins, 90, wowed in a rule-breaking purple wedding dress to marry Percy Gibson, 58
Maxwell Reed
Maxwell Reed was a Northern Irish actor who shot to fame in the 1940s and 50s. Throughout his decade-spanning career, Maxwell starred in Night Beat (1947), Daybreak (1948), Flame of Araby (1952) and Captain David Grief (1957-1960).
© GettyMaxwell first met Joan when she was 17, and he proposed after just a few months of dating. However, they got divorced after four years of marriage in 1956 and Maxwell died from cancer in 1974.
Joan has since opened up about their unhappy union and claimed he drugged and sexually assaulted her on their first date. She said in The Originals podcast that she then felt obligated to marry him. "It wasn't my fault but I didn't know, I went out with him. And maybe I shouldn't have gone out with him. He was much older than me, and he was a famous star.
© Ron Case"And anyway the bottom line is that he called me, and I went out with him again. And after I'd been going out with him for a few months, he asked me to marry him.
"And I thought, 'Well I better because you know, he took my virginity.' I really hated him, but I was so filled with guilt, that he had done this thing to me," she explained.
Anthony Newley
Joan's second marriage was to the late Anthony Newley – an English actor and singer-songwriter who was hailed as "One of Broadway's greatest leading men." Among his many accomplishments, Anthony wrote the iconic song 'Feeling Good' which would become a hit for Nina Simone, and he also created the film score for Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971).
© BettmannAnthony and Joan married in 1963, and they later welcomed two children – Tara Newley and Alexander (Sacha) Newley. Six years after their wedding, however, the couple's relationship broke down as a result of Anthony's infidelity on the set of his autobiographical film – Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe And Find True Happiness?
During an appearance at Kite Festival in June 2023, Joan opened up about her second marriage, telling crowds: "He was wonderful, that was Anthony Newley. We had two great children. He was fabulous until he went off to make a movie about his life in which he went to bed with about 72 women.
© Getty"I went to see it at a private screening. I knew that there was something going on when Barbra Streisand was singing to him at one of our parties, like looking up into his eyes, and I found out later they had had an affair.
"He was a serial womaniser. I was then 35 and I thought, 'I can't live like this' with a man who is going to do that," she concluded.
Anthony passed away on 14 April 1999 from renal cancer at the age of 67.
Ronald S. Kass
American businessman and recording executive, Ronald 'Ron' Kass, is internally recognised as the former manager of The Beatles (a position that Allen Klein would later occupy). Following his departure from Apple Records – the label set up by The Beatles – Ron turned to film producing and worked on Melody (1971), The Optimists (1973), and The Stud (1978).
© ExpressHis marriage to Joan came in 1972, shortly before they welcomed their daughter Katyana (known as Katy). In an interview with Mail Online, Joan described the three years after their wedding as "among the happiest in my life."
Unfortunately, the couple had turbulent times ahead after moving to LA, where Ron started a film company with a partner — Edgar Bronfman. Joan revealed that following Edgar's decision to fire Ron from the company, her husband began taking drugs which led to money problems.
© Getty"Together, we went to counsellors, marriage specialists and psychiatrists — to no avail," the actress revealed. "By the time Dynasty came along in 1982, saving my life and my career, ours was a marriage in name only. It was a pretence we kept up just for Katy's sake.
Although there was huge interest in me because of my role as Alexis, my personal and financial life was in ruins."
Joan had also discovered that her husband had been forging her signature on numerous documents to obtain money, which prompted her to ask for a divorce. Their marriage ended in 1983.
Peter Holm
Joan has described her fourth husband – Peter Holm – as "a mixture of obdurate dullard and calculating sociopath." A former pop singer, Peter wed Joan in Las Vegas in November 1985 after meeting through a mutual friend.
© Tom WargackiSpeaking to The Guardian in 2013, Joan explained why their marriage came to an abrupt end in 1987. "We married at the height of my Dynasty fame, but I came home early from work one day and found him in bed with another woman," she said. "Our marriage was a sham, and I was his meal ticket."
The former couple's divorce proceedings were far from smooth sailing. "At one point, Peter's long-term mistress — the one I'd caught him in bed with, ridiculously named Passion Flower — took to the stand and histrionically fainted," Joan told Mail Online.
© Getty"Predictably, Peter was desperate to prove that our pre-nup was invalid so he could claim half of everything I possessed. He lost, and the judge ordered me to pay him only $80,000 in compensation."
Percy Gibson
It was in 2000 that Joan eventually found love with Percy Gibson. At the time, Joan was acting in a play that Percy was producing in San Francisco.
© GettyBefore meeting her fifth husband, Joan was adamant that she would not remarry, but it didn't take long for the pair to fall for one another. "We hit it off immediately. He was funny, engaging, good-looking, and after the show, I would socialize with him, my co-star George Hamilton and my daughter Katy," she wrote in Mail Online.
© GettyJoan and Percy eventually wed on 17 February 2002 in a ceremony at Claridge's Hotel in London. "Percy is the most honorable man I've ever met," Joan told PEOPLE shortly after they tied the knot. "He's so much his own person and extremely secure in his own skin." They later renewed their vows at the Hotel Bel Air in Los Angeles in March 2009.
Opening up to HELLO! Magazine in 2015, Joan later explained how happy she is as Percy's wife. "It is my fifth marriage, and my happiest, and last," she said. "Percy is wonderful, he's my soul mate. That doesn't mean we don't bicker but we are very understanding of each other."
© GettyDespite their age gap of over 30 years, it couldn't be more inconsequential to Joan and Percy. "I was in my 60s and he was in his 30s [when we met], but the age difference never posed a problem," she told The Guardian in 2013.
"We talked it through and he didn't want children. He adores my children and grandchildren. We've been married for 11 years, but when I look at him across a room, my heart still skips."
If you have been affected by this story and wish to seek help, Rape Crisis (0808 500 2222) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you're feeling, or if you're worried about being overheard on the phone, you can Visit the website to start a free online chat.
