Nighttime soap opera star Joan Collins (Dynasty) recently revealed that she was drugged and raped at the age of 17 — by the man she later married, matinee idol, actor Maxwell Reed. During an interview for the documentary Brave Miss World, she explains that “she felt so guilty after the alleged ordeal she began dating him [Reed].” He was older and famous.
After a few months of dating, Reed proposed. Collins says today, “I thought, ‘Well I better [marry him] because you know, he took my virginity.’ I really hated him, but I was so filled with guilt, that he had done this thing to me.” They divorced four years later, in 1956. Reed died in 1974, he was 55 years old. Collins remarried four times after Reed. The 81-year-old actress is currently married to husband #5, Percy Gibson.
Note: The film Brave Miss World explores the trauma of sexual assault through one young woman’s journey from teenage rape victim to Miss World to empowered lawyer and activist. The documentary includes interviews with other rape victims including Joan Collins.