Stephanie Beacham is pleased 'things have changed' for women she since she was a victim of 'rape'

Stephanie Beachman is pleased "things have changed" for women after she was a victim of rape in the 1970s.

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Stephanie Beacham is pleased 'things have changed' since she was 'raped' as a young woman
Stephanie Beacham is pleased 'things have changed' since she was 'raped' as a young woman

Stephanie Beachman is pleased "things have changed" for women since she was a victim of rape.

The 78-year-old actress became a household name through her role as Sable Colby on the US soap opera 'Dynasty' in the 1980s but suffered a major sexual assault before she found fame, and was made to feel as if it was her "fault" at the time.

Writing for The Times, she said: "That kind of fame gives you a certain amount of power, but without it you have very little. In the early Seventies, before I was famous, I was raped. Back then, we women were made to feel it was our fault. Thank God, things have changed."

The 'Grey Matter' star also alleged that once she was famous, she was "guaranteed an Oscar nomination" if she agreed to pose naked for Playboy, but refused and the prestigious award never came her way.

She added: "Around the same time, I filmed 'The Nightcomers' with Marlon Brando — in which you see my breasts a lot — and was told I would be guaranteed an Oscar nomination if I did a naked shoot for Playboy. I refused; no Oscar nomination."

These days, Stephanie feels as if she has "earned the right" to say what she thinks and has a pretty relaxed approach to life on a day-to-day basis as she insisted that she has not had any sort of cosmetic work done.

She said: "At 78 I’ve earned the right to say and wear what I want. Today I spent the whole day in my pyjamas, including going to the shops. If I’m venturing outside, I’ll put on a bit of lipstick and brush my hair. I’m always asked if I’ve had cosmetic surgery, but have you seen this neck? It belongs on a Christmas turkey! If I have had any work done, it’s been pretty shoddy."