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.
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