Twiggy was left ‘shocked’ after she mistakenly thought a letter notifying her of her damehood was a tax notice.

The model, 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.

Speaking to Saga Magazine, Twiggy, 76,  said: ‘I was so shocked when it happened. I got this official letter and thought, ‘oh my God, it’s a tax letter’.

‘Then I opened it and it was written in a kind of legalese language. I thought it was saying I was being made a CBE.

‘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’.

Twiggy was left ‘shocked’ after she mistakenly thought a letter notifying her of her damehood was a tax notice (pictured at Vogue World in London, September 2023)

The model, 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 

The icon will be the focus of a new film – which wil be released next month – and it wil tell the story of her  upbringing, career and relationships, and features contributions from former Beatles star Sir Paul McCartney, US actor Dustin Hoffman and fellow Dame Joanna Lumley.

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.

‘So the following week we went out for lunch and it grew from there.

‘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.

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,.

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 fellow Dame Joanna Lumley

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 (pictured in 1967)

During her modelling career Twiggy was known for her androgynous style, appearing on the cover of the likes of Vogue and Tatler (pictured in 1968)

She then went on to  to host her own TV show, Twiggy’s People, which saw her interview celebrities.

In the early 2000s, she was a short-lived presenter of This Morning alongside Loose Women legend Coleen Nolan.

She also appeared in Absolutely Fabulous opposite Jennifer Saunders when the sitcom was revived in 2001.  

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