'Sexual allure highlighted by tight trousers': Inside Harry Belafonte's steamy affair with Joan Collins
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Harry Belafonte, a 96-year-old legend died on Tuesday, April 25 due to congestive heart failure at his home in New York City and Hollywood is in sorrow. The Jamaican-American musician, who was well-known for his musical talents and philanthropic endeavors, was married three times in his lifetime. Now, the world is currently abuzz with information regarding his prior relationships. He once made headlines for his affair with the 'Dynasty' actress, Joan Collins, during the filming of 'Island in the Sun'.
Collins, a Hollywood legend and soap icon, has engaged in a number of affairs on television. However, in the 2013 autobiography, 'Passion For Life', the renowned performer admitted that she had a number of torrid affairs in real life with some of the most desired men in the world of entertainment, including the 'King of Calypso'.
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Actor Maxwell Reed from Northern Ireland was Collins' first rumored Hollywood love interest. The 'Dynasty' star confessed in her autobiography that she had "stupidly allowed myself to be deflowered" on her first date with Reed, who was 14 years older than her. "Technically, he raped me by giving me a strong ‘Mickey Finn’ drugged cocktail disguised as an ordinary rum and coke," Collins states in her book, per the Daily Mail.
"The act, if you can call it that, was awful and degrading. He ripped off my clothes when I was unconscious and I was violently sick afterwards." Collins continued seeing Reed even though he had taken advantage of her. "However, because I'd 'done it,' which nice young girls seldom did then, I attempted to wipe the incident from my mind and actually started dating him," she added. "Oh, foolish child. At just 18, I was about as au courant in the ways of the world as 11-year-olds are today."
'We soon began an affair, away from prying eyes'
Collins and Reed exchanged vows in 1952. However, the Hollywood starlet and Reed were barely married for four years when she filed for divorce in 1956. Collins first met renowned actor Harry Belafonte on the set of the box-office hit, 'Island in the Sun', a few years after her divorce from Reed. Even though Belafonte was married at the time, they started an affair soon after they met.
"He was 31, six foot one, with melting brown eyes, a strong nose and close-cropped black hair. His sexual allure was accentuated by tight trousers and a shirt opened to reveal caramel-colored skin," Collins recalls in her book. The actress added, "Although we had no scenes together, the all-British crew teased me relentlessly when they noticed how often Belafonte — who was married — threw me suggestive glances…He was mesmerising, and we soon began an affair, away from prying eyes, in my tiny apartment."
'He went back to his wife and I moved on'
Well, not everything lasts forever and that was indeed the case with Collins and Belafonte. Although it's not known how long Collins and Belafonte's relationship lasted, it eventually came to a stop due to some unknown reasons. "After a few exciting liaisons, we knew we had to cool it," Collins wrote. She added, "He went back to his wife and I moved on."