While Phoebe 21, and Chloe, 19, are modelling for Hello! in Paris, their mother is halfway around the world starring in Sir Peter Hall's revival of An Ideal Husband on Broadway - and missing her daughters terribly.

Recently, Stephanie went on holiday with Phoebe for the first time "in simply ages" - for she had previously decided that she was through with supporting her two girls and they should stand on their own two feet.

"I felt that I had done my duty and that it was time their actions matched the independence they had so dearly fought for," she recalls. "They have not grown up spoilt, but it is rather easy to continue to expect what is freely given!

In the event, her stand probably took its toll on her more than it did her daughters. "I miss them," she reveals. "I worry about them constantly and I crave their company. As a single mother [her marriage to actor John McEnery ended when their daughters were young], I had to work hard to bring up the girls on my own. I wasn't always Stephanie Beacham the Dynasty star, but I have spent a large portion of my life on the other side of the world. So it was particularly hard.

"Needless to say, 'letting them go' has had the desired effect - and I must also say that, with the wonderful bias of motherhood, I am extremely proud of them and the paths they have chosen. I support them in their endeavours with all my heart."

Phoebe is literally following in her mother's footsteps as an actress. She is studying drama at Bristol and recently had her first leading role in a production of The Dutch Courtezan.

"Phoebe is starting to 'get it' as an actress. She is beginning to understand the camera and gather her emotions to develop a range," says her proud mother. "Of course, I will help her in whatever way I can."

Chloe is living in Paris where she has given up a job as an au pair to work as a political researcher for the International Herald Tribune.

"It's not a hard choice to make - going to Paris as an au pair then landing a job like that," says Stephanie.

The girls, for their part, admit to being in constant awe of their mother. She is their best friend and confidante. Years of looking out for each other has also bred a closeness between sisters that our cameras captured in an instant.

This occasion was their first modelling assignment and foray into the limelight - earlier they had attended the prestigious Debutantes Ball held annually at the Hotel de Crillon in Paris. Clearly, poise and bearing are hereditary, because their ease and beauty in front of the cameras belied their inexperience.

"It's quite frightening and quite wonderful doing something like this - we've been a part of the things Mummy has done over the years but it is very different when it is you in the spotlight," says Chloe.

The girls dressed in Versace and Vivienne Westwood - the designers chosen by them for the ball. And both the ball and photoshoot gave the girls a rare opportunity to see each other.

"We miss each other like mad," says Phoebe. "When we were at boarding school, we were always looking out for each other - Mummy was a long way away - so we've always been incredibly close. We've had a lot of catching up to do!"

Versace and Vivienne Westwood are not designers who immediately spring to mind when you think of debutante's gowns. But the organiser of the ball at the Hotel de Crillon believes such events needn't be stuffy or traditional. "We have so many great designers around the world and the idea of the ball is to match girls with designers so we have as much variety as possible. I think it makes it much more interesting," she explains.

For their parts, Phoebe and Chloe were delighted with the looks created for them by the two designers.

"Their styles aren't boring," explains Phoebe. "In your teens and early twenties you don't want to wear something which looks better on your mother - although in the case of Mummy, she looks good in just about anything! Also, it's a relief to move away from white. It always looks as if the debutantes are about to get married.

"This photoshoot is a wonderful opportunity and the practice in front of the camera is good for us both, nerve-wracking though it might be."

And has it given them a taste for more?

"Absolutely," enthuses Phoebe.

"I'm not sure," says Chloe. "We'll have to wait till Mummy tells us what she thinks of the pictures."