Jackie Collins’ publicist unearths wonderfully camp lost message to Attitude
By Nick Bond
Well this is a lovely surprise.
The late, great Jackie Collins’ faithful UK publicist, Nigel Stoneman, has been in touch with us here at Attitude to share a picture he’d found of the author, who passed away after a long battle with breast cancer back in September at the age of 77.
Their communication was regarding an advertisement to be placed in an issue of Attitude Magazine for one of Collins’ ever-popular series of ‘Lucky Santangelo’ novels.
Along with an oh-so-gloriously-80s headshot of Collins, resplendent in leopard print power-jacket, skin-tight choker and with hair teased high, she’d written:
“NIGEL – is it too camp to use this shot for our Attitude ‘Lucky Bitches’ ad?!!!”
There are two things we love about this:
- That Jackie even had to ASK if the accompanying picture was too camp for the pages of Attitude. Ms Collins, had you sent it directly to us we would’ve stuck it on the cover.
- ‘Lucky Bitches?‘ Yes, Jackie’s referencing THAT brilliant French & Saunders sketch in which the comedy duo lovingly send up she and sister Joan’s glamorous lives of jet-setting, champagne, men and fashion. “It has lipstick. It has sex. It has men. It has women. It has more lipstick”:
“Over the years, Attitude was very supportive of [Jackie’s] books and she loved writing for you,” Nigel told us when he found the vintage picture.
“She always had gay characters in her books, avoiding the stereotypes and making them real. Jackie didn’t care if you were gay, straight, Black, Latino – she loved people and was a really good human being.
“Her last book is The Santangelos [released earlier this year] – she saw it become her 31st bestseller.”
Vale, Jackie Collins, you fabulous creature you.
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