She's made herself as one of the UK's best known lookalikes thanks to her striking resemblance to Joan Collins, and Londoner Barbara Kealy is no less fierce than the real thing.

Joan famously set the template as being the original TV vixen in her role as Dynasty's Alexis Colby, while her tumultuous love life has seen her wed five times, currently with husband of 16 years Percy Gibson.

Meanwhile Barbara - who says she's significantly younger than her 84-year-old doppelganger - has been with her husband Dougie Donaghey, 64, since the early 1980s.

Despite being happily married, men from all over the world are still trying to woo Barbara who has recently published her first novel, Double Deception, based on the lookalike world - not that she minds.

Referring to the #MeToo movement, Barbara : 'It's all gone too far. If you tell men to stop winking or trying to chat you up, I wouldn't like that.

'Oh yeah, men chase me. They say things. They might give you a chat up line but you either do or you don't – I don't,' Barbara told Femail.

'They will put their hands around your waist. A pat on the bum – that's nothing. I say "excuse me" and jokingly laugh it off. I think most men are like that. The others do it with their eyes.'

A believer that men should be men and women should be women, Barbara defends the likes of Donald Trump who has found himself in hot water over sexist comments about attractive women.

'They are just trying to discredit him,' said Barbara. 'Women speak worse than that when they're together. Of course men talk about women like that.'

Londoner Barbara Kealy is one of the UK's most successful lookalike, thanks to her striking resemblance to Joan Collins

Barbara has released a fictional novel which has teasing similarities to the real-life characters she has met in the lookalike world

'I like to be chatted up by men. You want to be appreciated by men, I'm sorry.

'If guys stopped whistling at me or stopped saying "hello darling" I would feel bad. If they stopped saying 'oh you look gorgeous' I'd be finished.'

BARBARA ON AGEING

Perhaps that viewpoint is part of the reason Barbara is struggling to connect with a younger audience.

Millennials are now in the charge of the types of companies that tend to employ lookalikes to mingle at events – but not only do they opt for doubles of younger stars like Taylor Swift, many don't even know who Joan Collins is.

Barbara fumed: 'It's shocking, Joan is a legend – they should at least know who she is.'

Like the real Joan, Barbara looks fantastic for a woman of a certain age. Though she refuses to reveal a number, Barbara will clarify she is significantly younger than Joan who turns 85 this month.

Barbara said she's 'significantly younger' than Dame Joan, but is planning her first plastic surgery next year

Joan and Barbara have met on a few occasions and her lookalike said the Dynasty star definitely lives up to her feisty reputation

The Londoner credits her own enduring looks to good genes and clean living.

Barbara said: 'I don't do drugs, I don't smoke, I rarely drink. I'm careful with my diet and keep busy.'

But while Barbara represents a bygone age, she has no problem employing modern tactics to 'keep up with Joan' and is planning on having her first lot of cosmetic surgery next year.

'I'm going to have my neck and the bags under my eyes done,' said confessed.

What does Joan Collins herself think of the #MeToo movement? Joan has previously claimed she was sexually harassed by former 20th Century Fox boss Darryl F. Zanuck, a rejection that lead to her being dropped from iconic Sixties flick Cleopatra. And she's revealed the harrowing experience was a frequent occurrence during her tenure in Hollywood, though she insisted she 'never gave in' to the sickening demands of the movie industry's titans. The 84-year-old actress told TMZ that she would need at least 'an hour and a half' to disclose all of her sexual harassment experiences. Speaking in light of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, Joan said: 'I can say that I don't think there's been a pretty young actress who's been around who hasn't had that kind of thing. 'And it's not just Hollywood, it's also in politics, it's also in fashion. It goes on a lot I'm sorry to say.' Asked how bad things got for her, Joan retorted: 'Oh, pretty bad. But I never gave in.' 'Oh, I can't say that. They're all dead,' before once again naming American film producer Darryl F. Zanuck. Advertisement

THE LOOKALIKE WORLD

In her years on the edges of showbiz Barbara – who began mimicking Joan during Dynasty's heyday in the 1980s – has seen it all.

And like the famous sister of her counterpart, Jackie Collins, Barbara has released a fictional novel which has teasing similarities to the real-life characters she has met in the lookalike world.

'People kept telling me I should write a book,' said Barbara, whose first novel Double Deception hit the shelves in January. 'It is a crime thriller with the lookalike world as a backdrop. There's a Marilyn, Elizabeth Taylor, a couple of queens…'

Not surprisingly, the book's central character is a Joan Collins double.

Barbara keeps in shape with clean living, but is planning on having her first lot of cosmetic surgery next year

MEETING THE REAL JOAN

The real Joan certainly knows who Barbara is after two brief encounters where Barbara got a taste of the cattiness her idol is famed for.

She said: 'The first time I met Joan was at a book signing. One of the guys saw me and said 'oh my God, the lookalike'.

'My friend, who was buying me Joan's book as present, asked her to sign it to "our Alexis".

'Joan went "no, I can't" and put Barbara in the book instead. My friend said "wow, she even gives dirty looks like you".

Joan (right) is best known for her role as Alexis in the hit 1980s soap opera Dynasty

The pair had another chance encounter a few years later at some television studios, where they bumped into each other in the canteen.

'Joan gave this look to everybody and then paused briefly as she passed me. Later she came to see me when I was having my make-up done.

'I said "hello, you caught me with half my make-up on" and she went "What? More make-up?"

'I nearly said "yes, I'm going to get as much as you've got on", but I didn't.

'Something about her demanded respect. I just giggled. I think she's much nicer than she makes out. The heart is there.'