Hugh Hefner called her ‘bambina’ and her Sliema aunt promised to pray for her soul. After a colourful life, Mary Collinson, one of Malta’s Playboy Bunnies, has died at the age of 69.

She and her late sister, Madelaine, made Playboy history when they became the first set of twins chosen as the magazine’s Playmate of the Month back in October 1970.

After their cover and topless centrefold shoot, at the tender age of 18, the Sliema sisters’ acting credits went on to include films such as Some Like It Sexy, Groupie Girl, the Love Machine and, their biggest hit, horror film Twins of Evil.

“My mother was such a colourful person who enjoyed her life and all the work she did. I am so proud of her,” Mary’s daughter, Natasha Manfredini, told Times of Malta.

The ex-model died on November 23 in Milan, after suffering from bronchopneumonia and seven years after the death of her identical twin.

Humble upbringing in Sliema

Born on July 22, 1952, the twins had a humble start, living in Blanche Street, Sliema, with their mother.

“They grew up in a very poor family, so at the age of 16 they decided to leave the island searching for new beginnings and something better,” Manfredini recalls.

In 1969, Collinson packed her bags and moved to London, followed, six months later by Madelaine.

Manfredini remembers the twins as almost “the same person”.

“One time, my mother told me how,  when they were younger, they had to resit an exam because they wrote the exact same way and gave the same answers, despite sitting on opposite sides of the room.”

Before featuring in Playboy, the Collinson twins were in the short film Halfway Inn, cast as seductive maids.

Meeting Hugh Hefner

Shortly after arriving in London, they caught the eye of Playboy magazine’s managing director, Victor Lownes, during a party.

“He contacted Hugh Hefner and made arrangements for them to fly to Chicago for a Playboy test shoot.

“They lived in the [Playboy] Mansion with Hugh Hefner, who my mother told me respected them greatly and called them ‘my bambini’,” Manfredini said.

Needless to say, the cover was a success and what followed was a career of modelling and appearances in raunchy movies.

Yet, the Collinson twins are best known for their roles as Frieda and Maria in the Classic Hammer Horror Film Twins of Evil, where they starred alongside English horror film star Peter Cushing. Mary played the good twin Maria and Madelaine was the wicked Frieda.

The movie is considered as a favourite for many classic horror and Hammer fans and, throughout the years, the twins received “boxes” of fan mail from all over the world, Manfredini recalls.

Over the past few days, she has rummaged through her mother’s belongings, coming across boxes of original Playboy photos and footage of films they appeared in.

“I found some movie footage of their earlier works and I was a bit shocked but I understand that, at the beginning of their career, they would accept all sorts of projects,” she said.

“My mother loved the atmosphere of being on set for a modelling shoot or film set. They both had so much work, they would continuously travel around the world for different modelling campaigns and enjoyed every minute of it.”

While the Playboy empire was considered sexually and culturally progressive, 1970s Malta remained deeply conservative and religious.

Challenged at Malta airport over sex toy

Manfredini recalls her mother describing how she was challenged by shocked airport security officer after a sex toy was found in her luggage. And ­she recalled how their mother’s aunt was extremely religious and was not a fan of their career choices.

“Every time she would see them, she would simply say ‘I pray for your souls’.”

Despite this, the twins still had a growing number of fans, as her daughter recalls one particular journalist, Lino Cassar, being an admirer of the sisters’ work.

“Cassar was a true gentleman and admired the work they did,” she said.

“Before he passed away, we would often as a family meet for dinner or afternoon coffee.”

Her mother settled in Milan in 1978 whilst working on a modelling campaign, just a year after Manfredini was born in London. A second daughter, Adelaide, was born in Malta in 1984.

“Growing up, I would hear my mother and aunt speak in English, Italian and Maltese. For a year, we even settled in Malta and while I have not grasped the language fully, I understand a word or two,” she said.

Whilst her mother lived in Chicago, London and Milan, she truly loved her seaside hometown.

“Right before her illness took a turn for the worst, she would often come to Malta and spend time in her apartment in Qui-si-Sana. She would spend sunny days walking along the front and enjoying a cup of coffee by the sea.”

Manfredini recalls her mother to always be dressed elegantly, even days before her death.

“She used to get up from bed and put on a pair of smart leggings and a colourful blouse. I never recall her wearing black – only colourful pieces,” she said.

“Even though she had nowhere to go, she was always dressed as if she was expecting company.”

Manfredini said that when Madelaine died, her twin sister was deeply affected. 

“Her work and family were the two most important things. She lived a simple life – my sister and I grew up with many loving memories,” she said.

Recalling some of her glamorous mother’s words of advice, Manfredini keeps two nuggets of wisdom close to her heart.

“My mother told me to always be yourself and to not believe everything a man tells you because not all of them mean well,” she said.