‘Peter always used to say, you prefer a fried egg sandwich to sex.’ The wild marriage of Hazel, an Irish actress, and Peter Collinson, director of The Italian Job

‘Peter always used to say, you prefer a fried egg sandwich to sex.’ The wild marriage of Hazel, an Irish actress, and Peter Collinson, director of The Italian Job

Hazel Yeoman Collinson on her volatile husband, and her own career – and says that Barbra Streisand was an ‘absolute cow’

Hazel Collinson at her home in London. Photo: Edmond Terakopian

‘You are pig Irish, a little scrubber.” Now who could say that about a gorgeous, beautiful woman? One man. Peter Collinson, the wild director of the cult movie, The Italian Job , known for his explosive temper, a man who often gloried in the vilification of the women in his life.

Hazel Yeoman Collinson, his elegant Irish widow, is sitting on a brown velvet armchair in her home in Chiswick, London when I meet her.