Joan Collins: I have felt unsupported during my career

Joan Collins says she has felt unsupported for most of her long-spanning career and admits she "never had anybody" and "had a very tough time all my life".

The 87-year-old actress, who next month marks 70 years since she started acting, admits she "went through the jungle alone".

Speaking on The Jonathan Ross Show, Collins described reaching the milestone as "unbelievable", adding: "I was 17 and I did this dreadful movie, Lady Godiva Rides Again.

"By 20 I was put under contract at 20th Century Fox.

"I got on a great big jet to go to America all by myself at 20."

Collins, who recently starred in Christmas film The Loss Adjuster, also discussed the challenges she had faced during her career.

"I never had anybody, I never had the great agent, or great husband – before Percy [Gibson] that is – I never had anyone who was really supportive of me," she said.

"I had a very tough time all my life. As an actress, when you’re very young and pretty, you’re not taken seriously as an actress."

"Vivien Leigh told me this. She said, 'People only started to think I could act when I started to lose my looks."

She added that her father, who was an agent, told her not to be an actress because she would be "finished" by her mid 20s.

"Well daddy, I proved you wrong," Collins said.

She also paid tribute to the late actress Barbara Windsor, who died last week aged 83, saying she met the star "many, many times".

"She was always great fun, with the cackle laugh.

"We did something for the Queen. We did a lot of things together."

This week we've got a fantastic line up of guests including @Joancollinsdbe, @Tyson_Fury, @MayaJama, and the hilarious @russell_kane.

Don’t miss it, Saturday @ 9.25pm on ITV STV #thejrshow pic.twitter.com/6Zr76uDryI

— Jonathan Ross Show (@JRossShow) December 17, 2020

The Jonathan Ross Show airs on Saturday at 9.25pm on ITV.