British born (1941) romantic novelist, and the younger sister of Joan Collins. She has been married twice, and had 3 daughters with her first husband who died in the early 1990s of cancer.

Her first success came in 1969 and after publishing some 20 books in the past 35 years she has gone onto sell some 400 million books in over 20 languages.

She is based in Hollywood and many of her novels like Hollywood Wives are set around the glitz and the glamour of LA life.

A UK newspaper the, Daily Mail, claimed she was worth a reputed £100 million (US$190 million) in February 2004.

Her sister starred in 1970s film versions of her novels The Stud and The Bitch.