Dame Joan Collins constantly warns her husband he needs to exercise.

Dame Joan Collins

Dame Joan Collins

Although Joan, 84, is 33 years older than her spouse Percy Gibson, she admitted that she is in much better shape than he is and she is always telling him to exercise more.

She told Reader's Digest: "I tell my husband, who's 51 - I think, I never remember! - that he's got to exercise more. Because I exercise more than he does.

"People need to take better care in their youth and middle age so that they don't fall apart when they turn 65 or 70."

And Joan revealed she doesn't feel any different than she did 40 years ago and is thrilled to still be working in her 80s.

She said: "I don't feel any different physically to when I was 45. Taking care of your appearance is very important.

"Other than that I managed to raise three children - none of whom became drug addicts or committed suicide or became alcoholics, which is what a lot of children of famous people do - I'm most proud of the fact that I'm almost the longest-working actress in film."

However, Joan recently claimed she only gets offered moving roles after Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith turn them down.

She said: "There are older-women parts, but quite frankly they're going to go first of all to Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep or Susan Sarandon. There are 20 women they're going to go through before they get to me."

Joan also believes that parts for older actresses are few and far between, as movie studies continue to cater to a younger audience.

"Today, big-budget films are made by big businesses, and all of the companies have one motive in mind - to make money.

"Their audience is mostly young men between the ages of 12 and 28 and they want to see young, nubile girls."