Joan Rhodes (Letters, February 15), known as The Strong Lady of Variety, is very much alive and well.

Now retired and in her 70s, she lives in north London, where she is writing her memoirs.

She intends to call them Men I Picked Up - a reference, she says, to her famous stage act, not her private life.

At the height of her fame, she tore telephone directories in two and even lifted a baby elephant on stage. She toured the world and appeared on bills with Bob Hope and her great friend Marlene Dietrich.

In Rome, the Egyptian King Farouk sent her tiger lilies every night and asked her if she would like to break one of his beds.

Joan's flat is filled with showbusiness memories - posters and programmes line the walls. For many years, she cooked dinner once a week for her pal Quentin Crisp. Afterwards, they always played Scrabble.

Joan is often seen at showbusiness functions and looks as glamorous as ever. Asked if she would ever like to make a comeback, she recently replied: "Heavens, no! The telephone directories are far too thin now. In my day, they were huge.

I tore them into quarters."

-Patrick Newley, Kingscourt Road, London SW16