Joan flees wealthy Russians blighting her street... and finds sanctuary in Claridge’s
AFTER a 65-year showbusiness career, Dame Joan Collins might feel entitled to a bit of peace and quiet. But the star has been driven out of her £3million Central London home by nightmare neighbours whose noisy building work is making her life a misery.
She had planned to celebrate her 15th wedding anniversary with a party at her Belgravia home last night, but the disruption at the property next door, believed to be owned by wealthy Russians, has forced her to flee to a hotel.
But there are some compensations. She and husband Percy Gibson, 51, are holed up in Claridge’s, one of the capital’s most exclusive five-star hotels.
Dame Joan, 83, tweeted that it was a ‘home away from home’ after staff left a celebratory cake and bottle of wine in her room. And the hotel has special meaning for the couple – as it was there they held their celebrity-studded wedding reception in 2002, joined by stars including Roger Moore, Dame Shirley Bassey and Sir Tim Rice.
Earlier this week, Dame Joan posted a picture online showing a large truck with a crane delivering scaffolding to her street, and wrote: ‘When will it stop?’
The disruption follows the collapse of her living room ceiling last month, caused by a water leak also blamed on building work.
Yesterday, as she prepared for the party – which will now take place at a friend’s home – the actress told The Mail on Sunday said: ‘Our quiet street resembles a building site. The noise is absolutely incredible.
‘We are surrounded by massive renovations to the buildings s to our left, to our right, the four flats above us, and two directly opposite all at the same time.
‘The work is non-stop with endless drilling, hammering and banging for months. We’ve had a flood, and our hot water, heating, electricity, cable and internet have been cut off at various times.
‘I’ve been chased out of my own flat – the flat I have lived in for more than 20 years. I don’t begrudge the people who are moving in and making these homes their own, but not all of them are doing that.’
The house next door was bought in 2013 for £15.35million by a firm registered in Jersey. The owners’ names aren’t listed but neighbours understand they are Russian. They are digging out the basement to create a seven-storey home with a pool, gym and ten-seat cinema. They have also bought a £5million home behind the townhouse, which the basement will connect to.