Ageing legend JOAN COLLINS has been the victim of shopping rage.

The former DYNASTY star, 68, was shopping with a male pal on New York's trendy Fifth Avenue when a sales assistant opened an empty till for her, causing a shopper queuing at an adjoining till to shout out, "Hey man, what the hell are you doing? We were here first, let her go in line. "

Collins, who has written about her ordeal in this week's (ends15JUN01) SPECTATOR magazine adds that she suddenly found behind her a "very big, very dark and very angry young man", who rudely yelled, "You're a star f**ker, that's what you are. "

Collins grabbed her friend and fled the shop. She says, "Any second I expected a . 45 to be pulled. I could see the headlines: 'Actress dies in shopping shoot-out'. I fled not out of cowardice: I simply wouldn't be caught dead in the GAP. " (LE/WNTEX/PDD)

Source: WENN