Latest news with #DameJoanCollins
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Dame Joan Collins teams up with M&S for an unexpected launch just weeks after cyber attack
Following its cyber attack in April, Marks & Spencer has finally reinstated full online shopping, and just in time for its latest partnership with Dame Joan Collins After hitting pause on all online shopping back in April after an unprecedented cyber attack, Marks & Spencer has been gradually reinstating all of its online shopping to customers. Now, as of July, customers are able to order from the whole website, and it couldn't have come at a better time, as the high street fave has just teamed up with another icon. Partnering with Dame Joan Collins – one of M&S Food's ambassadors – you can now shop a beautiful flower bouquet designed by the Dame herself. The Dame Joan Collins Bouquet with Vase is the second arrangement designed by the actress following the success of her first last year, and features some of her most-loved flowers in a beautiful, timeless bouquet. The Dame Joan Collins Bouquet with Vase (£75) contains a huge variety of white flowers, with 40 different stems including avalanche roses, oriental lilies, freesias, laurel sprigs, and gold eucalyptus stems. Dame Joan Collins said: 'From London to Los Angeles, I always mark special occasions with my favourite flowers – the timeless elegance of white lilies and roses make them the perfect gift.' Thanks to the white, gold and green colour combination, the arrangement looks elegant, full and is definitely a showstopper, making it perfect for a table arrangement, centrepiece, or somewhere prominent like a hall table or coffee table. The flowers arrive in bud, allowing them to bloom in the following days so you get more from your arrangement. The Dame Joan Collins Bouquet with Vase also arrives with the perfect sized vase for the bouquet, so you don't need to hunt around for the right shape or size to display them at their best. Instead they arrive ready to go, so you can enjoy them for longer. You can pick up a similar bouquet at Prestige Flowers, with the Rome arrangement also featuring avalanche roses, calla lilies, lisianthus, thistle and eucalyptus, combining elegant all-white colours with contrasting greenery. The bouquet is priced at £49.99 for a standard bunch, with an additional £5 charge for a medium arrangement or a £10 extra cost for a showstopping large bunch. If you want something seasonal that's guaranteed to bring a little joy to your home, Bloom & Wild's The British Sunflowers Bouquet is currently on sale, down from £42 to £33.60. It contains 16 stems of sunflowers, agapanthus and solidago, and arrives hand tied and delivered directly to your doorstep. The M&S Dame Joan Collins Bouquet with Vase also arrives directly to your doorstep inside a protective ribbon-tied box, with gold and purple tissue paper. All you need to do is trim the steps and arrange them in the included vase with some water and flower food to create a bouquet fit for a Dame.
The Independent
24-06-2025
- The Independent
I've found Robert Jenrick's next crusade… helping Joan Collins clear away discarded Lime bikes
Hey, Robert Jenrick! After your Superman act as you tried to prevent London's Tube travellers from dodging fares, your super-powers are needed again! And this time, you've got a super-sexy sidekick! The shadow justice secretary has become something of a suburban superhero since he was filmed chasing fare-dodgers on the Underground, he could be the man to help Dame Joan Collins in her campaign against other transport terrors. This week, the ninetysomething Dynasty actress posted a photo of herself on Instagram, surrounded by a mass of Lime bikes in Kensington. She captioned the image of her obstructed path: '#shocked about the #loutish behavior [sic] of @lime #bicycle users #pavementsareforpedestrians #limebike.' And she has a point (liberal use of hashtags aside). These bikes have become a menace – or rather, their riders have. Being able to hire an e-bike to get around our cities is a brilliant innovation, but the way they are dumped on the streets makes them a total hazard. Because these cycles don't have to be parked in a dock, they can be left anywhere; Lime recommends parking spots and reminds users: 'Your vehicle must be upright and with the kickstand down, not blocking pedestrian pathways, building entrances or driveways'. Chance would be a fine thing! So many bike parking spaces, designated or not, are so jammed with vehicles that it becomes difficult for pedestrians to pass – and the ones that are strewn across the pavements are an even worse hazard. I live in a London suburb, and almost every day there's a rental e-bike parked in the middle of a pavement, particularly near the bus station, where there are usually two or three of them lying on the floor, causing a massive issue for anyone with a disability and a huge inconvenience for those who don't. If you try to pick them up and move them, they're really heavy – and I should know, because that's what I do if I see one that's a hazard. Many of these cycles have also been hacked, using a trick that involves breaking the lock (which I won't detail here). When the bike is then ridden, it makes a horrible click-clack noise, and because the bike is now broken, it's just casually discarded. Lime says they are working on a solution to this, but they clearly have a bit of work to do on this given how commonplace the sound is in central London. Last year, Brent Council threatened to ban Lime bikes from their streets due to so many being badly parked; the parties came to an agreement after Lime conceded to remove them within two hours of being reported. But you can trip up over a lot of pavement bikes in two hours. In new research last year, the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) reported that 70 per cent of blind or partially sighted people surveyed noticed an increase in pavement obstructions due to e-scooters, and almost half of them said that dockless bikes and e-scooters stop them from getting out and about. Earlier this week, I was visiting Guy's Hospital in London, and a Lime bike had been left on the pavement between the main building and the cancer centre. Thoughtfully, the rider had parked it on its kickstand, but that oh-so-considerate touch wouldn't make much difference to anyone trying to negotiate it in a wheelchair, or who was wobbly on their feet. That moment really summed up for me how thoughtless and selfish so many of the cyclists who use Lime bikes and any other e-bikes in London are. So come on, Mr Jenrick. I fancy seeing you and Dame Joan riding a paid-for pair of Lime bikes, chasing down the selfish idiots who are making life difficult for so many people. This is a job for Jenrickman!
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Joan Collins, 91, goes from acting royalty to the British sovereignty in Wallis Simpson role for new biopic about the Duchess of Windsor
She made her name as the scheming Alexis Carrington in Dynasty. Now, at the age of 91, Dame Joan Collins is taking on a very different dynasty - the British royal family. The actress has been pictured for the first time as Wallis Simpson in a new biopic of the American divorcee who became the Duchess of Windsor after marrying King Edward VIII, following his abdication, in a new film based on her final years. In the images for the movie titled The Bitter End, Dame Joan's hair is perfectly coiffed into Simpson's classic style, while flanked by Conclave actress Isabella Rossellini who plays the Duchess's formidable French lawyer, Suzanne Blum. The photographs were taken in the grounds of Villa Windsor, the Parisian townhouse where Simpson and her royal husband hosted the likes of Diana Mitford. Dame Joan, who will be celebrating her 92nd birthday later this month, said: 'In production for The Bitter End, I'm delighted to post the official first look photograph of Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, and her scheming lawyer, Maitre Suzanne Blum in the garden of her villa in Paris. 'Under Mike Newell's legendary direction, this is a truly exciting production.' The film will chart 'the shocking untold story' of Sompson's twilight years when she finds herself ensnared in a menacing grip of her lawyer Blum's obsession and coercive control. Blum worked on some notorious high society cases, most notably representing Rita Hayworth during her divorce proceedings from Prince Aly Khan. By 1977 she was the only representative for the widowed Simpson, whose ill health left her practically confined to her Paris bedroom. Biographer Hugo Vickers has described how the 'sinister' Blum took advantage of the royal's memory lapses and physical weakness and 'sacked' Simpson's other lawyers, meaning Blum had 'near full control of the Duchess'. The Duchess of Windsor died in April 1986, with dementia, leaving her unable to speak. While Blum died eight years later in 1994. On Thursday it was announced Game of Thrones actor Charles Dance and Harry Potter star Miranda Richardson will join the cast of the much anticipated movie. Dance's casting has prompted speculation that he could reprise his role as Lord Mountbatten, who he portrayed in The Crown. The former governor-general of India became close to Simpson following the abdication and escorted the Duchess to her husband's funeral in 1972. As an American divorcee who seduced a British royal, Mrs Simpson has been dubbed the original Meghan Markle. Simpson was at the center of the most scandalous love affair of the 20th century when she entered into a relationship and marriage with Prince Edward VIII, Prince of Wales and heir to the throne. His obsession with Wallis subjected her to a brutal character assassination. She was called a temptress and sorceress who had cast a spell on the fairy-tale Prince to become Queen. In 1936, King Charles's great-uncle Edward VIII's choice to abdicate the throne to marry her. The move clashed with his responsibilities as head of the Church of England - sparking a constitutional crisis which left the nation stunned and beginning a rift within the family that never healed. The couple went into exile in France at Villa Windsor, a 14-room Parisian townhouse, where they received guests including British fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley and his wife Diana. The Duke had hoped his exile would be brief but he was never allowed to move back to Britain, with his brother the new King George VI threatening to cut off his allowance if he tried to return without an invitation. Edward's health deteriorated in the 1960s and towards the end of 1971, the Duke – a heavy smoker – was diagnosed with throat cancer. Netflix's The Crown depicted how, in May 1972 – ten days before his death – Edward was visited by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. She spoke to him alone before appearing with just the Duchess for a photograph. Edward died on May 28, less than a month before his 78th birthday. It was only after death that the tension in the family seemed to dissipate and Edward's body was returned to Britain, where it lay in state at Windsor Castle's St George's Chapel before his funeral. Wallis died in 1986 aged 89 after years of frailty and suffering from dementia which led to her living as a recluse. The Royal Family allowed her to rest next to her late husband on Windsor's grounds.
Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
First look at Dame Joan Collins as Wallis Simpson in new biopic
The first image of Dame Joan Collins portraying Wallis Simpson in a new biopic about her final years has been released. Dame Joan, 91, can be seen sporting the Duchess of Windsor's signature centre parting and 1920s-style finger waves hairstyle with bold red lipstick for The Bitter End, directed by Mike Newell. Wearing large sunglasses and a glamorous fur-lined coat with leather gloves, the British actress stands in front of Conclave star Isabella Rossellini, who is portraying the French lawyer Suzanne Blum. The relationship between the Duchess and Blum, who has been described as a 'totally menacing' force in her later life by Johanna Schutz, the Windsor's private secretary, is being explored in the upcoming film. In the first look image, the Duchess and Bloom appear to be standing in front of Villa Windsor, the main residence of the Duke and Duchess in their exile in France. The Bitter End will be produced by Gore, Richard Holmes and Francis Hopkinson and executive produced by Hilary Strong and Michael Foster, with its screenplay written by screenwriter and novelist Louise Fennell. Miranda Richardson, who played Queen Elizabeth in Black Adder, Game of Throne's Charles Dance, and Pride And Prejudice's David Bamber are among those recently announced to join the duo in the film. After marrying in June 1937, the Duke and Duchess lived the rest of their lives in exile, with Edward dying in May 1972. The Duchess died in their shared home in Paris in 1986 at the age of 89. John Gore, the film's producer, said of the casting: 'We are thrilled to announce the exceptional cast and creative team joining Joan Collins and Isabella Rossellini in The Bitter End. 'It's an exciting project for John Gore Studios as we commit to producing distinctive British stories for global audiences.' After marrying in June 1937, the Duke and Simpson lived the rest of their lives in exile in France. Simpson died in Paris in 1986 at the age of 89. Dame Joan, who is known for playing Alexis Carrington Colby in US show Dynasty, previously said of the film: 'I am thrilled about the challenge of playing this iconic woman in a previously untold story and to be in John Gore Studios' initial roster of what I'm sure will be a very successful endeavour.' Simpson has previously been portrayed by Lia Williams in the Netflix royal drama The Crown, Faye Dunaway in The Woman I Love, and Eve Best in The King's Speech.
