Dame Joan Collins has said she has become ‘closer than ever’ to her husband Percy Gibson after the coronavirus lockdown.
The actress, 87, – who married the producer, 55, in 2002 – revealed that having to spend more time together has helped their relationship.
Speaking to Hello! magazine from her home in St Tropez, she said: ‘Being in lockdown has made me realise how strong our relationship really is.
Loved-up: Dame Joan Collins has said she has become ‘closer than ever’ to her husband Percy Gibson after the coronavirus lockdown (they are pictured together at their home in St Tropez)
‘I love entertaining guests at the villa, travelling and socialising, but that changed and because of the restrictions it’s just Percy and me.
‘The great thing is we’re partners in crime, accomplices.’
Dame Joan also claims to have had a ‘feeling’ a disease was on its way in January.
Close bond: Speaking to Hello! magazine from her home in St Tropez, she said: ‘Being in lockdown has made me realise how strong our relationship really is’
‘I started wearing gloves as protection and in restaurants I would wipe down the table and the cutlery,’ she said.
The pair then travelled from Los Angeles back to London at the beginning of March.
‘At LA airport I wore a mask and gloves, and people were pointing and giggling. I don’t think they believed the virus would spread.’
Smitten: The actress, 87, – who married her the producer, 55, in 2002 – revealed that having to spend more time together has helped their relationship (pictured in February this year)
Joan previously declared she’d ‘settle’ at living til she’s 100 – and brushed off the age difference between her and Percy.
In a recent interview she mused that ‘people make too much fuss about age, which is just a number.’
Speaking to The Mirror, Joan :’I think there’s a big difference between biological age and the age you’re supposed to be.
‘As you know, Percy is somewhat younger than me. At first people would always say, ‘What are you going to do about the age difference?’ I’d say, ‘Well, if he dies he dies!”
‘Will I outlive you all? No, I don’t want that.’
Honest: Joan previously declared she’d ‘settle’ at living til she’s 100 – and brushed off the age difference between her and Percy (pictured in 2019)
In May, Dame Joan criticised the UK government for being ‘ageist’ to those over the age of 70 amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
In her column for The Spectator, the actress claimed government advice saying elderly people needed to stay indoors during the global pandemic was ‘utter discrimination’.
Holding nothing back, she said: ‘I’ve always thought Western society was terribly ageist, and I don’t just mean showbiz folk but across the board.
‘Then the UK government insisted the over-70s, horrible expression, were part of the vulnerables, an even more horrible expression, and should remain in lockdown, the most horrible expression of all, until a vaccine is found.
Who cares! In a recent interview she mused that ‘people make too much fuss about age, which is just a number’
‘That was utter discrimination against the hardy individuals who have no health issues. But more harmful was bolstering the existing belief among the general public that the old should keep out of everyone’s way.’
The Dynasty star added that she declared ‘stunningly healthy’ by her GP on her most recent visit, and has never limited herself by her age, which was true of others too.
Picking out fellow elderly actors, Joan said it was a shame 88-year-old Coronation Street star William Roache, who plays Ken Barlow, was not allowed to return to work because of the government’s advice.
She also detailed her shock when pal Christopher Biggins, 71, was stopped by members of the public during a run, because they believed he should remain inside.
Happy couple: Joan has been spending time in the South of France with her husband Percy for most of this year