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.
Paul McCartney’s only son James makes rare appearance with father – his looks are highly criticized by fans
In the 2000s, James played backup percussion and guitar for some of his dad’s solo releases, like “Flaming Pie” and “Driving Rain.” He also played lead guitar for his mom on the track “The Light Comes from Within,” on the posthumously released album “Wide Prairie.”
When his mom died in 1998, James admits that his ‘perfect world’ was destroyed.
“When I was 17 I wrote my first song and then Mum was diagnosed with cancer. She died when I was 20 and that’s when I went into a very dark period,” he said. He continued, “I was studying art, photography and English at college. I had spent a lot of time at home with Mum and Dad. I got a bit of flak from the college because I wasn’t really present, but I never regretted spending that time with her.”
James found solace in drugs and alcohol, and distanced himself from the family. Adding to his struggles was his relationship his dad’s new wife, Heather Mills, whom Paul was married to from 2002 to 2008.
“My relationship with Heather was not very good. I didn’t like her. But I wouldn’t want to say anything negative about her because she’s a good mother to Beatrice and that’s the most important thing,” James said, speaking of his baby sister that Paul shares with Mills. “Beatrice is adorable. She’s great, a real joy for the whole family.”
In 2007, when his award-winning dad was hospitalized and had angioplasty surgery, James reconnected with his family. “Dad’s great now but that episode made me realize how important he is to me. He was suffering in his own way [because of his high-profile split from Mills]. He was under stress. In hindsight I wish I’d been more supportive,” James said.
In 2011, Paul married Nancy Shevell, to which James says, “Nancy’s my new mother. I feel that. Definitely. She’s very genuine.”
“I removed myself from my family for a while. Now I want to immerse myself in them,” James shared. “I love Dad so much. I’m in a happy place. I’m not high, which is a good thing. I just want to be the best person I can be.”
Slowly gaining traction as a reputable musician, James released his debut single “Available Light” (2010) and then, collaborated with his dad, who worked as co-producer, James delivered his first album, “Me” in 2013, followed by “The Blackberry Train” in 2016.
Though he lived a mostly private life, he told the BBC in 2012 that as a child, he aimed to be “better than the Beatles.”
“When I got to a certain age, I realized that I was somewhat better than other kids at school at guitar and took pride and enjoyment in that,” James said (as per the Daily Mail).
“I then dreamt of being better than The Beatles. I’m not sure if I can do that. If anything, I would love to be equal to The Beatles–but even that’s quite tough.”
He even revealed he was wanting to reanimate the Beatles with the progeny of the Fab Four, including John Lennon’s son, Sean, son of George, Dhani Harrison, and Ringo Starr’s two boys Zach and Jason Starkey.
\
But quickly shutting down the media explosion over a Beatles incarnation, NBC reports that James clarified that it was just a thought. “Well, looks like quite some attention being given to my BBC interview! Honestly, I was just thinking out loud about playing with Beatles family friends, nothing more. My band’s going to be on tour in the UK and US for most of this year, and the shows are going great! I’m so grateful…. Lots of love to you all…!”
Recently, James appeared with his dad and big sisters at the private viewing of the “Paul McCartney 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm” exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
The exhibition features extraordinary photographs taken by Sir Paul of The Beatles’ early days.
James, looking similar to his famous dad, was dapper in a black suit paired with a white shirt at the star-studded event.
Tossed into the spotlight where he’s vulnerable to criticism, fans shared their harsh opinions of James, who is a recovering addict.
“They look very much alike! I think this is what Paul would’ve looked like (in his heyday) if he was overweight and didn’t look after himself. His son needs to start looking after himself. It seems as though he over eats, probably an alcoholic. And doesn’t look like his hygiene is up to par.”
Many, reacted to the Daily Mail writing on Facebook that James is Handsome: “They have a different standard of what ‘handsome’ is….Yikes!” writes one user, while another said, “I don’t think I would say he was handsome got his dad’s eyes but that’s all.”
Some suggested that James aged poorly: “Sorry to say this but his son looks like his father and his father looks like his son.”
Falling into the minority of cyber citizens defending James, one follower writes, “Wow look at all the women body shaming the poor guy for his looks, if it was a woman they would be all up in arms if there was any negative comments, leave him alone ffs nothing wrong with him….probably gets more women than most men in here too lol.”
Have you heard any music released by James McCartney? Are you more likely to listen to his recordings because he is the son of a musical legend or are you the type of person who prefers independent artists?
Leave a Reply