Ian Kelly writing Vivienne Westwood's Biography, to be published Autumn 2014

Ian Kelly, the actor and biographer who famously interpreted the life of two of the greatest peacocks of history, Beau Brummell and Casanova, revealed this weekend that he has secretly been working with Dame Vivienne Westwood on a version of her life story. The book will focus on Westwood's early life in Derbyshire, where she trained as a teacher before marrying and having her first son, as well as later - what Kelly refers to as 'the rock star years'. She later gained notoriety, and fame, as the partner of the late Malcolm McLaren when the two set up their clothes shop, SEX, and since then her unorthodox sense of style has led the transformation of the UK fashion industry from an international backwater into a major player. Her career has taken her from the artfully stained T-shirts of the punk era to the jaunty pheasant feathers and ruched velvets of the English dandy look. Before being approached to write the biography, Kelly knew and admired Westwood, as a fan of the 2004 V&A exhibition that showcased her 18th-century tailoring. The book was to have been a straightforward authorised biography but became a collaboration; Westwood has waived her right to censor the content, says Kelly, but will contribute passages. It will also link Westwood's passion for culture and her activism as a vocal supporter of Greenpeace and Liberty, the human rights campaign group.