Full career still going so strong.

Sex goddess Joan Collins stars in Full Circle at Newcastle's Theatre Royal next week

It's hard to write about Joan Collins without slipping into the kind of descriptions which wouldn't be out of place in one of her books.

Devastatingly glamorous, she has the flirtatious exuberance, coquettish style and looks of a woman less than half her age.

Even at 70, Joan Collins knows all the right moves to captivate her audience.

And dressed in a stunning tight red leather suit, with a skirt slashed to the thigh, she does just that, holding court at the London Palladium to discuss her latest romantic comedy Full Circle - the play responsible for enticing her back into the theatre.

One playful giggle, bat of her wide, dusky eyes or sexy twirl of her pearls, and everybody from the theatre director to the bar staff is eating out of her hands.

Only a mention of former boyfriend "Bungalow" Bill Wiggins, who lasted 14 months with the diva, sends a glacial frost across her smiling features.

"No," she replies flatly, when asked if she kept in touch with him. "Next."

Her fifth marriage, to Percy Gibson, seems to be still in the honeymoon period - the couple celebrated their third wedding anniversary on February 17.

"Last year we had a big party in New York. This year we cooled it somewhat," she says, revealing she and Percy had a quiet dinner together.

She does, however, have an enormous diamond flashing on her wedding finger, and the couple lead a glamorous life, moving between Collins's homes in London, New York and France, and catching up with Collins's three children.

It seems the couple cannot bear to be parted - they are working together for the third time as he accompanies her on her long regional tour as the theatrical company manager.

And Collins is taking the challenge of 15 weeks of travelling around the country and performing in her stride.

"I love touring," she enthuses with a faint American accent. "I'm a Gypsy at heart - a good traveller." She adds: "I can imagine getting fed up of changing hotels and dressing rooms halfway through the tour. But I'm no BeyoncA. I don't make demanding requests. I make my dressing room homey with pictures of my family, candles, plants and cushions.

"Touring doesn't intimidate me. What's more daunting is whether I'm on top of my lines, going to fall down the staircase or burst my dress after a costume change. Always things go wrong."

One imagines not much would intimidate Joan Collins - versatile actress, best-selling author, accomplished producer and successful entrepreneur.

The daughter of theatrical agent Joe and his wife Elsa, she was born in London and made her stage debut at the age of nine in Ibsen's A Dolls House. She went on to RADA when she was 16 and after only 18 months was signed by the Rank Film Organisation.

Later came the films which made her name, with titles like The Bitch and The Stud, before probably her most famous role - Alexis in Dynasty.

"Changing dresses got so boring," she recalls of the 80s show dismissively, waving a blood-red fingernail. "Getting up at 5.30am and doing up to five dress changes a day. I swore never to do TV again."

Fortunately she changed her mind about appearing on TV and went on to star in Aaron Spelling's drama Pacific Palisades. And her proudest moment was producing SINS, a miniseries which topped the ratings in America.

Collins admits she's similar to the character she plays in Full Circle, novelist Denise Darvel.

Both are mothers-of-three - Joan's children are Tara and Sasha Newley by Anthony Newley and Katy Kass by Ronald S Kass, while her stage persona has three children by three different partners. Unlike Joan, though, Denise has never been married.

"Men are wonderful," says Collins, "and some are horrible. You can't generalise about men.

"The secret of a great relationship is to be each other's best friend, to share everything. Percy and I started off as friends. That has been very important for our relationship."

The play - set in the 50s - revolves around Denise unexpectedly confessing to her children that the handsome man in the portrait above the fireplace is not their father. In the interests of respectability, the search for a substitute begins.

The last play Collins performed in - Over the Moon at London's Old Vic - was pulled after a short run two years ago because of the impact of September 11. And it was 10 years earlier that Collins strode the boards in Private Lives at London's Aldwych.

"I came into this business to be a stage actress," she says. "I'd been looking for a play to do for a couple of years when I was told about this one. When I read it, I thought it was fun, entertaining and would be a pleasure to watch. It's a little old-fashioned in some ways," she smiles.

"I want to entertain people and want them to go away with a good feeling, saying, `I enjoyed that.'

"I consider myself a comedian. I have always loved comedy, though I am not known for it particularly.

"Comedy is more difficult than drama because you want to get something back from the audience."

Collins, who was dubbed Miss Perpetual Motion by her mother, confesses she will find relaxing on tour difficult. She already plans to write a diary of her experiences and start work on another novel.

"I have the germ of an idea," she reveals.

She's also in discussion with Hollywood moguls about co-producing a novel for the big screen. It seems guaranteed Collins won't be leaving centre stage for some time to come.

"Retire? Never," she snaps, before dispensing a glowing smile, rising and sweeping from the room.

Full Circle is at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle, from Monday until May 22. More details on 0870 905 5060.