Dynasty star Stephanie Beacham believes working in a Barnet Boots store in the 1960s helped prepare her for the bitchiness of Hollywood.

The 65-year-old, who was born and bred in the borough, worked in the health and beauty store as a teenager before forging a career in television.

She is best known for her role as Sable Colby in Dynasty spin-off The Colbys, before starring in the comeback season of the original show alongside Joan Collins in the late 1980s.

Speaking to the Radio Times about her teenage years, the veteran actress said: “During the school holidays I worked in the Barnet branch of Boots. In the rest room, the girls were so possessive of their stools and mugs. I have never met such bitches. But it prepared me for Hollywood.”