Joan Collins has spoken of her amazement at being made a Dame, describing the honour as something she never expected in a “billion years”.

After receiving the accolade from the Prince of Wales for services to charity, Dame Joan said all she wanted to be at the start of her career was just a “jobbing actress”.

The star is famed for her roles in a string of sexy films like the The Stud and for more recent parts in the ITV comedy Benidorm and the soap The Royals.

Dame Joan Collins with husband Percy Gibson at Buckingham Palace (John Stillwell/PA)
Dame Joan Collins with husband Percy Gibson at Buckingham Palace (John Stillwell/PA)

The 81-year-old said: “Not in a billion years did I think I would be made a Dame, it never even crossed my mind.

“It wasn’t anything I ever aspired to, I just wanted to be a jobbing actress, a working actor and somebody who could still perform.

“I do my one woman show a lot, which I love doing,” she said, and added, laughing: “But I have a lot of irons in the fire, none of which I can talk about.”

Dame Joan has been a regular on stage and screen for more than half a century, but is probably best known for her portrayal of Alexis Colby in Dynasty.

Joan Collins
Joan Collins never dreamed of becoming a Dame (Richard Shotwell/Invision)

The glamorous US soap opera, with its lavish costumes complete with startling shoulder pads and big bouffant hairstyles, ran for most of the 1980s and made her a star all over again.

Speaking about Alexis, Dame Joan said: “She was a fabulous character, even though a lot of people hated her, a lot of people loved her and she was, I thought, a well-rounded character.

“It was nine years of an extraordinary amount of work that I truly enjoyed. I enjoyed creating that character, I enjoyed working on her wardrobe.”

Dame Joan was born into a showbusiness family – her mother was a dancer and her father an agent – in London and enjoyed early success in the British film industry before heading to Hollywood.

She has worked steadily for decades with occasional gaps for marriage – she is currently on her fifth husband, Percy Gibson – and bringing up her family.

Percy joined her at the Buckingham Palace investiture ceremony, as did her two grown-up children, Sasha and Tara Newley, from her second marriage to actor and singer Anthony Newley.

Film appearances include a remake of The Big Sleep starring Robert Mitchum and she has featured in TV shows including Star Trek and The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

She also starred alongside Rising Damp actor Leonard Rossiter in a string of successful adverts for Cinzano which invariably ended up with the drink being spilled down her top.

Joan with her daughter Tara Newley (John Stillwell/AP)
Joan with her daughter Tara Newley (John Stillwell/AP)

The actress was recognised for her charity work and has used her fame to support a variety of good causes including the NSPCC, Fight for Sight, Barnardo’s, Feed the Children and the Elton John Aids Foundation.

Dame Joan, who wore a cream outfit she had designed herself and a hat by royal milliner Philip Treacy, she said: “I’ve been very involved in many charities from the NSPCC to (the children’s charity) Brainbox to my particular favourite charity, of which I’m patron, Shooting Star Chase children’s hospice, which helps families and their terminally ill children.

“It’s completely reliant on donations and they’re making great strides in helping children recover from birth defects, but mostly it helps the families.”