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 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.