Twiggy says she was ‘shocked’ after mistaking damehood letter for tax notice

Sixties fashion model Twiggy has said she was “shocked” after mistaking a letter notifying her of her damehood for a tax notice.

The 75-year-old, whose real name is Dame Lesley Lawson, was appointed a dame in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to fashion, the arts and charity, and will see an eponymously titled film of her life released next month.

Speaking to Saga Magazine, Twiggy said: “I was so shocked when it happened. I got this official letter and thought, ‘oh my God, it’s a tax letter’.

“I called the phone number on the bottom of the letter and spoke to a really nice lady. I asked her if it was true I was being offered a CBE.

“She said, ‘no, they are offering you a damehood’.”

Directed by Sadie Frost, the new film follows the star’s upbringing, career and relationships, and features contributions from former Beatles star Sir Paul McCartney, US actor Dustin Hoffman and actress Joanna Lumley.

In the interview Twiggy said the idea for the film came about after Frost featured on her Tea With Twiggy podcast to talk about her Mary Quant documentary, Quant.

Twiggy said: “In the middle of us chatting on the podcast, I asked if she was going to do any others because it was so good, and she said, ‘I’d love to do you’, because she’s fascinated with the 1960s.

“I loved the way Sadie was thinking, and she knew I’d want to be very involved. Making it has been a happy experience, she’s done a great job.”

During her modelling career Twiggy was known for her androgynous style, appearing on the cover of the likes of Vogue and Tatler, and she also had a career on stage and screen, with her role in The Boy Friend (1971) earning her two Golden Globe awards.

For her Broadway debut in My One And Only she received a Tony nomination for best actress in a musical in 1983, before going on to host her own TV show, Twiggy’s People, which saw her interview celebrities.

The full interview is in the March edition of Saga Magazine.