Dame Diana Rigg died after a short battle with lung cancer in September 2020 aged 82. Beautician Miss Zhu, 43, began giving the Bond star manicures and pedicures at the Nail Gallery in Chelsea back in 2001 and struck up a close friendship with her.
The beauty therapist said, at first, she didn’t know who the The Avengers actress was until another customer pointed it out.
Miss Zhu commented: “She was so generous and down to earth you wouldn’t know… she was happy with simple things in life like a cup of coffee.”
The late actress left £5,000 from her £3.3 million estate to the salon manager, much to her surprise.
She has however turned the cash down and has given it to Diana’s grandson instead.
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Explaining her reasons, she told the Mail Online: “I told Diana’s daughter that the money should go to her grandson because I did what I did out of love.
“We had a very special relationship.”
Jessica went on to say Diana treated all the staff in the salon “like family”.
The beautician also revealed that she was by the late star’s side up until her last minute of life.
The Dame began her professional career in the stage production The Caucasian Chalk Circle in 1957.
She went on to play Emma Peel in the TV series The Avengers from 1965 to 1968.
The actress’ famous roles also included her time as Countess Teresa di Vicenzo, wife of James Bond, in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service in 1969, Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones from 2013 to 2017 and the title role in Medea on Broadway and in the UK.
The mother-of-one was made a CBE in 1988 and a Dame in 1994 for services to drama.
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