I’m at a time in my life now I’m not going to do anything I don’t enjoy

MOISTURISER. I have a jar next to my sink and whenever I wash my hands or my face I apply it... and I am very into healthy eating. You have to eat healthily. I had a bowl of cereal with grapes and bananas – not very much – for breakfast and that will last me.

I won’t have any lunch today because I’ve got a charity tea for the Shooting Star Children’s Hospice, which helps terminally ill children and their families.

We had a very nice evening at Buckingham Palace recently for the charity with Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, and it was lovely. It was thanking and honouring all those involved in the charity. IT does not affect me at all in America. They never call me Dame there. They don’t really know what it means. They call me Dame Collins or Lady Jane sometimes, but I’m very proud to be a Dame.

It really is the highest that the Queen can bestow on you. Some of my friends jokingly call me Dame Joan. IT WAS very interesting. I was with some fabulous actors like Kathy Bates, who was absolutely marvellous. I really adore her and she’s become a very good friend.

Sarah Paulson is also a great actress and there was young actor Evan Peters, who is marvellous. It was a very nice experience and, of course, there was writer and producer Ryan Murphy, who is the new wunderkid. month for travelling, and then American Horror Story came along and the tour has now been changed to February, which is not a good month to go travelling. I’m going to have to take lots of thermals just in case... and my make-up. YES, but I hope the audience will have a certain amount of respect. But if they do ask something that I don’t want to answer I have Percy.

If there’s anything non-PC, or whatever the latest jargon is, I won’t necessarily answer them. Your career spans everything from films like Sea Wife and The Stud to Dynasty and British comedy Benidorm. What memorable moments do you feature in the show? I HAVE met so many people. When I was a child Gene Kelly was one of my favourite actors and when I was doing a TV mini-series called Sins in the 1980s, which I was producing, starring and also in charge of casting, I decided it would be great to have Gene play my older husband.

I went to visit him at his hotel when he was in Paris. I’d known him since I first came to Hollywood and he just said ‘Of course, anything for you Kiddo’. I FEEL at home wherever I am. My house in the south of France is very French, my London apartment flat is more classic and traditional and my flat in America is more Hollywood.

I’ll be spending Christmas with my family in London and on most of the tour dates I can get home to London. I’ll be touring up to the north for the last ones and we’re going to stay in a hotel then so we don’t have to travel.

There’s already been heavy snow in New York and I don’t want to be travelling around in a snow storm. You won the best actress award at the Los Angeles Shorts International Film Festival this year for your performance in Gerry. What keeps you acting? I’M at a certain time in my life now that I’m not going to do anything I don’t enjoy. I enjoy performing, that is not a problem, but travelling takes a lot out of you.

Acting in Gerry was fun and something totally different. I don’t think anyone really recognised me.