Joanna's joy I'M AN AB FAB DAME!

The actress had cause to break open the Bolly after her royally good news

Late last year, a rather formal-looking letter arrived for British actress Joanna Lumley. The 75-year-old feared it was bad news before splicing it open to read the contents. Then, she burst into tears.

Inside the envelope was a letter informing her she was to be given a damehood in the New Year Honours.

“It was an extraordinary shock. I put my head in my hands and sobbed like a baby,” laughs the actress. “Then I thought, ‘How has this happened? Is it a mistake?’ I truly was completely thrown by it and thrilled to bits.”

For Joanna – best known for her iconic role as Champagne-swigging magazine editor Patsy Stone in the ’90s sitcom Absolutely Fabulous – it doesn’t get much better than being given the big tick of approval by the royal family. The star has never made a secret of her abiding love and respect for the British royals. In 2005, she attended Charles and Camilla’s wedding, and one of her favourite stories involves the Queen herself.