JOAN Collins believes men are like buses - wait long enough and another one will come along. ''So if you're saddled with one that isn't up to par, why not get rid of him, and take on a better model?'' she advises.
Collins is a woman who practises what she preaches. She's had four husbands - two of them in five years - and a series of well-publicised romances with celebrities such as Warren Beatty. Now she has no hesitation in advising trading in a troublesome husband or partner for a less stressful model.
It's called taking control of your life, something Collins, who was advised by her Hollywood agent that at 34 that she was too old to contemplate a return to movies, knows plenty about.
''I am not advocating going without men - oh no, that would not be much fun - but in 1994 it is not necessary to make a man the centre of your life,'' she says.
But she is advocating not spending all day at the bus stop if you want to make something of your life. After all, even if a bus eventually comes along, who knows whether it will be the number you want. And Collins definitely doesn't settle for second best.
''Don't let the world intimidate you into tripping down that aisle and becoming the archetypal feminine woman, controlled by society, men and children,'' she says. ''Do your own thing.'' Demand the best, then make it happen, is her advice. Citing Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher as role models, she advises women to take a positive, assertive approach to life, to love and look after themselves and refuse to accept that ageing must mean a gradually decline, especially in the looks department.
