Former Bond girl and Avengers star Honor Blackman launched a £20 million flagship retirement complex in Dudley – and declared she was “gobsmacked” with it and would love to move in “like a shot.”

The 85-year-old grandmother, best known as Pussy Galore in Goldfinger and Cathy Gale in The Avengers, joined 71-year-old Doreen Parkes, the first resident to move into Broad Meadow, to   open the centre.

The circular-shaped development of 132 one and two-bedroom apartments, supported by care services and including a gym, hair and beauty salon, activities hall, restaurant, bar, social lounge and wellbeing centre, is in Middlepark Road, Russells Hall.

Honor said: “The ethos of this place is so fantastic – we should take care of elderly people but also we should do everything we can to keep them healthy and exercise, if they want. It’s a ghastly expression – but I’ve been gobsmacked. I have four grandchildren in Sussex – otherwise I would move in like a shot.”

Mrs Parkes, a retired care supervisor, and her husband Geoff, aged 74, of Romsley Road, Stourbridge, will move  in next month. She said: “We decided to move in while we can make our own decisions and then, as we need it, we know that the care will be there.”