Girl Who Slept Underground Defied the Odds to Become a Beloved 90-Year-Old Actress with a Young Husband
This girl lived through World War II. She and her family had to sleep in the Underground and move from one place to another. Eventually, she became a successful actress and married a younger man.
This celebrity experienced the war, but she was too young to remember all the events that led to it. Although it interrupted her education, she grew up to be one of the most famous stars.
This public figure was born in London, England, on May 23, 1933. She is the oldest child of Elsa, who used to work as a nightclub hostess, and Joseph, who was a talent agent.
Elsa, who was British, and her husband, Joseph, from South Africa, had two more children together: Jackie in 1937 and Bill in 1946. The family lived during World War II.
They took shelter in Tube stations with other Londoners who were hiding from German bombs. This girl shared her memories of those times in May 2020.
She said she was very young when the war began and that her father had to stay in London to entertain people who remained there. She added, “But I was evacuated constantly… We were all over the place.”
The war made school difficult because her family couldn’t stay in one place. She said it was a tough time for her. Luckily, she had her mother with her and her sibling, which made things a bit easier.
She recalled sleeping in the Underground, saying, “We went to the one at Marble Arch the most. It was very friendly—people would have accordions and they’d sing.”
Who Is the Girl Who Slept in the Underground?
The girl who was evacuated is Joan Collins, an English actress known for her role in the 1981 drama series “Dynasty” alongside Linda Evans.
In an interview in October 2013, Collins said her grandmother taught her to sing, dance, and encouraged her to act. However, her father discouraged her from becoming an actress, saying she would be irrelevant by age 23. She proved him wrong.
Despite her successful career, Collins’ love life was more complicated. She was once engaged to actor Warren Beatty, and at age 26, she became pregnant with his child.
He urged her to terminate the pregnancy, saying it would hurt their careers. Although she was unsure at first, the now mother of three later agreed he was right.
Though she and Beatty never married, Collins married four times. She is now with her fifth husband, actor Percy Gibson, since February 2002.
“Percy is the most honorable man I’ve ever met,” Collins said a month after their wedding. She didn’t plan to marry again, but he changed her mind.
Percy and Joan met in 2000 in New York City while she was in a play and he was a producer. They started a passionate relationship when she was in her 60s and he was in his 30s, but the age difference never bothered them.
Today, Collins is 90 years old, and her husband Gibson is 58, making him 32 years younger than his Golden Globe Award-winning wife.
