Joan Collins Quotes

I think it has something to do with being British. We don't take ourselves as seriously as some other countries do. I think a lot of people take themselves far too seriously; I find that a very tedious attitude.

I don't believe in dieting.

When I was 49, I posed for Playboy - I was very flattered to be asked. I was quite honoured, really, considering that most of the models they feature are in their twenties.

I say, 'Use it or lose it.' I have my own fitness regime, which is centred around stretching, free-weights and fast walking. I also have a trainer half of the year, as I spend my summers in the south of France where I swim a lot.

It's just something that I like, and I also don't buy into the ageism theory.

Life is a predator: you have to eat it before it eats you.

I have a lot of male friends that I go the cinema with and movie and shopping. A lot of men friends I know love shopping.

And I think of that again as I've written in several of my beauty books, a lot of health comes from the proper eating habits, which are something that - you know, I come from a generation that wasn't - didn't have a lot of food.

Yes, I love playing cartoony characters. Been known for that.

The problem with beauty is that it's like being born rich and getting poorer.

I don't use e-mail; I phone and fax. I think people who are hunched over their computer screens all day should get a life.

I think dieting is bad for you.

The endless bonking was exhausting me.

Basically, though, I believe in eating well, not eating too much but eating a variety of foods.

Botox, I think, is poison, I would never put it into my face, and I'm needle-phobic. I spend a lot of time keeping my face out of the sun and taking care of my skin and wearing make-up.

My parents instilled in me that life was going to be very difficult and that I'd have to work for everything.

It is unseemly to undress on stage. I won't do that.

I used to go over to Gene Kelly's house and play volleyball, and Paul Newman and Marlon Brando were always there. You kind of took it for granted because I was 20, 21, 22, and they were a bit older - well, Gene certainly was. But it was just part of daily living. They were in the same profession, and you didn't think that much about it.

I've said no to 'Celebrity Big Brother,' 'Strictly,' and the American one, 'Dancing With The Stars.' I don't feel it's right for me. I've been asked to do reality TV a zillion times. No way. No way. Nobody's going to get into my living room and see me there.

My mother was a domestic goddess and Mother Earth figure. She was sweet and placid - just what the perfect wife was supposed to be and I was determined not to be.

Every woman should wear make-up. It takes years off. I'm wearing lots of false eyelashes today, and to me, lipstick is the best cosmetic that exists.

I do all my own make-up, it takes me 10 minutes.

I can't think of anything I would rather not - rather do than get up and not do anything. I have to do something. Whether it is painting, writing, acting, shopping, going to the gym, being with friends, going out - I just am a very active person. I have a lot of friends and I travel a lot.

Jennifer Aniston is cute, but I wouldn't call her beautiful. I think that is why Cheryl Cole is so popular, because she is just so pretty and the public are starved of gorgeous people. When I was young, everybody on screen was gorgeous.

I'm a woman for all seasons. I mix 'n' match, do designer and high street - keep all my good pieces. I design all my evening and cocktail dresses most of the time as I dislike what is out there.

Hair, in fact, is probably the bane of most women's lives.

And the truth is I've always taken very good care of my skin, and always, always worn make-up.

Dynasty was the opportunity to take charge of my career rather than waiting around like a library book waiting to be loaned out.

Making each day a mini lifetime - to achieve something and to enjoy something.

However much some journalists may criticize me, I know that I look, feel, and behave several decades younger than my actual age, and much of that is because I believe you are what you think you are. This is called positive affirmation, and it's a really strong tool.

And then I wrote my first autobiography when I - well, it was 23 years ago. And since then I've written about one book every two years.

The body is like a car: the older you become the more care you have to take care of it - and you don't leave a Ferrari out in the sun.

There are some brilliant designers but their clothes only really suit 6 foot 20-year-olds.

I was thinking, who of the English actresses in the last 30 or 40 years have achieved as much as I have?

I don't look my age, I don't feel my age and I don't act my age. To me age is just a number.

From the age of 17 I was a pin-up girl. I did it for 30 years and, quite frankly, it gets a bit boring.

One of the rules about being an actor or an actress is that you never diss other actors or actresses, particularly when you don't know them.

The secret of having a personal life is not answering too many questions about it.

I loathe conflict, and I loathe not getting along well with people, so I always try very hard to be on the best terms with the people I work with.

I never thought I was particularly good looking. But when I see old photographs, I realise that I was. I do wish I had known that at the time because beauty is power. I didn't realise how lucky I was to be young, beautiful and in Hollywood. It didn't hit me. Every day I woke up, went to the film studio and just got on with it.

I think bare legs in winter are idiotic. Unless your naked pins are toned, tanned and veinless, it's best to cover up. There is nothing more elegant in winter than dark tights worn with matching knee-length boots and a belted trench coat.

Gone are the days when a gentleman lightly took your hand in his and brushed his lips across it, or tipped his hat to acknowledge you as he chivalrously stepped aside to let you pass.

I've never yet met a man who could look after me. I don't need a husband. What I need is a wife.

If you eat junk, you look like junk. People say, 'It's not my fault, it's my glands.' It's not; it's greed!

I don't buy into you're on the slag heap when you're 40 or 50 or 60 or 70 or whatever.

I've never chased fame. I came into this business to be a theatre actress. I was nine when I first appeared on stage. But I can't say I would turn my back on fortune. I'm someone who enjoys the benefits of money.

If I hear the word 'retire,' it makes me want to throw up. And then do what? Sit around all day watching television?

When I was at school, I was terrible at algebra and arithmetic, but I was always the best at English and literature. And acting, of course.