Dame Elizabeth Taylor once stole a ring from Donatella Versace.

The late actress - who was renowned for her love of fine jewellery - once asked the Italian designer if she could try on a ring she was wearing, but then never gave it back to her.

Donatella said: ''My brother collected vintage jewellery and I was wearing a ring that he'd given me - Elizabeth said in this extraordinary breathy voice, 'Darling I love your ring, may I try it?' And she didn't give it back! She put it on and breathed, 'Oh darling thank you, you didn't have to do that!' But I hadn't!''

Despite her renowned glamour, Donatella admits she was delighted to make a range of clothes for Swedish high-street retailer H&M as they managed to create her designs without her losing any integrity.

She added in a speech at the Oxford University Union: ''It gave me such self esteem because we saw this amazing appetite for the brand. H&M is a fantastic, incredible company - I had no idea how they'd make my designs come to life at those prices, but they did without restricting me at all.''