Joan Collins jokes she's used 'three or four of her nine lives' as she reveals dramatic moment her 'hero' husband leapt into action to save her from house inferno - and meets firefighters who rescued them
- Dame Joan Collins told Good Morning Britain she is lucky to be alive after fire
- Blaze severely damaged her exclusive Belgravia flat earlier this month
- Her husband Percy put out much of the flames with portable fire extinguisher
- Actress, 85, said he was her hero and also thanked fire service for their help
Dame Joan Collins revealed she feels lucky to be alive today after escaping a blaze at her London home when her husband bravely tackled the flames with a fire extinguisher.
The 85-year-old actress said she believes she has used up 'three or four of her nine lives' after the terrifying experience at her exclusive Belgravia flat.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain for her first interview since the incident, she called husband Percy Gibson, 54, her 'hero' and added the fire service had praised him for his quick thinking.
Dame Joan also got the chance to thank the team from Soho Fire Station in person after they were brought out as a surprise for the actress, who was quick to shake each of their hands on the ITV show as she showed her appreciation for their efforts.
Speaking to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid about the blaze, she said: 'I'm very lucky to be here. Somebody once told me I have nine lives and I think three or four of them are gone already. I'm still suffering from the smoke.'
Dame Joan Collins, centre, and husband Percy Gibson, third right, were surprised on Good Morning Britain today by the firefighters who saved them after a blaze at their Belgravia flat
The actress, 85, left on GMB today, said her husband, right, was her hero after he saved her life by battling the flames with a fire extinguisher
The fire ripped through the guest bedroom in the flat, pictured, and is believed to have been started by a mirror catching the sun and sparking flames in the curtains
Dame Joan was quick to shake the hands of the Soho Fire Station team, pictured, and said they did a wonderful job
The former Dynasty star relived her dramatic escape, which began as she and her husband were watching Jack Nicholson film As Good As It Gets in their bedroom.
Dame Joan said: 'It was more than scary. It was a Saturday afternoon and we could have gone out to see a movie but I wasn't feeling too well.
'I said, "There's a beeping on the screen". He said, 'No, it's not a beeping on the screen'. Then I said, "It's coming from outside, it's our smoke alarm".
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'And believe me, I'm not exaggerating, there was two feet of smoke from the ceiling.
'It was in the guest bathroom at the end of the corridor. He said, 'Call 999' and I went to call 911 stupidly. No, I didn't, I called 999.
'Percy came out and he said there were flames on the curtains in the bathroom. He went and grabbed a fire extinguisher – which may I say everybody should have one, and everybody should have a smoke alarm.
'If we hadn't had either of those we would have been gone.
The actress also urged everyone in the country to make sure they have a fire extinguisher and smoke alarm at home to prevent fires. She is pictured on the show with the Soho firefighters
'When the fire people came in they said, "You were very, very lucky you got it so early and your husband put out the major flames."
'It went up in two minutes… the smoke was unbelievable. By the time I had finished, [speaking to] 999 in the corridor, and they were saying, "Get him out of there". The whole corridor, the whole of our front hall, was full of smoke.'
Explaining the cause of the fire, Dame Joan added: 'It was a mirror on the window sill, and it caught the sun, the sun was very low that day. It caused a spark and it immediately set light to the curtains. One of the fire people said it happens a lot.'
Speaking about his actions, Mr Gibson said: 'I didn’t think. I didn’t think at all, I just reacted. I didn’t want the fire at home.'
The couple also said they had only recently returned to the flat after being out for a year due to flooding damage from elsewhere in the building.
Pictures from within the building have shown charred walls and the crumbling interior
London Fire Brigade said the flat (pictured) blaze took over an hour to get under control
Mr Gibson added: 'I loved how Piers [Morgan] emailed us afterwards and said "Maybe you should move".'
The crew from Soho Fire Station said Mr Gibson had done a 'marvellous' job but added advice in such situations remains to shut the door on the room with the fire in, get out of the building and call 999.
Dame Joan, who married Mr Gibson in a ceremony at Claridge's Hotel in London in 2002, said the guest bedroom and bathroom of the flat were destroyed and shocking images have previously revealed charred walls and a crumbling interior.
Two fire engines and ten firefighters battled the flames which engulfed the first floor of a seven-storey apartment block.
Although Mr Gibson, a theatre and film producer, had managed to extinguish the blaze before crews arrived, the couple were treated at the scene for the effects of smoke inhalation.
