Ann Summers boss Jacqueline Gold has left her £17.6million intercourse store fortune to her household after dropping her battle in opposition to breast most cancers, it has been revealed.
The lingerie tycoon, who died on March 17 final yr, aged 62, left property and financial savings to her husband Daniel Cunningham, 46, probate papers have revealed.
Trailblazer Gold made her hundreds of thousands by promoting raunchy clothes and introducing house events that turned intercourse toys such because the Rampant Rabbit into family names.
Her well-known father David Gold, the co-chairman of West Ham United who rose from abject East Finish poverty to a £500million fortune and put Jacqueline accountable for Ann Summers, died two months earlier than, aged 84, after a brief sickness.
The acclaimed businesswoman left a gross property of £19million, however this was diminished to £17.6 million after her money owed have been paid.
Jacqueline Gold at an Ann Summers retailer launch in Westfield Stratford Metropolis in 2011
The Ann Summers tycoon died following a seven-year battle with stage 4 most cancers
Her father, David Gold, died a few months earlier than Jacqueline following a brief sickness in a double tragedy for the household
She left her diamond heart-drop pendant and matching earrings to her sister, Vanessa, and the remainder of her jewelry to her daughter, Scarlett.
She left the remainder of her property to her husband, Daniel, Scarlett and her household.
Jacqueline is credited with turning her father David’s intercourse outlets into female-friendly areas.
She was celebrated as a strong advocate for ladies in enterprise and as soon as mentioned: ‘I got down to empower girls within the bed room and now I need to empower girls within the boardroom.’
She had been battling in opposition to stage 4 most cancers for seven years earlier than she succumbed to the sickness, having briefly, and tragically, been given the all clear in 2020.
Jacqueline was surrounded by shut household when she died, together with her husband, daughter and her sister Vanessa, who took over Ann Summers in 2022.
Vanessa described her sibling as ‘an absolute warrior’ having been identified with breast most cancers in 2016 – the yr she was handed a CBE.
In a tribute following Jacqueline’s dying, Vanessa mentioned: ‘Jacqueline courageously battled stage 4 breast most cancers for seven years and was an absolute warrior all through her most cancers journey. In life she was a trailblazer, a visionary, and essentially the most unimaginable girl, all of which makes this information that a lot more durable to bear.
Jacqueline, left, together with her sister Vanessa and David Gold’s companion Lesley Manning (proper) in January as they laid flowers for Mr Gold on Inexperienced Road, the place he grew up, after his dying in January
Jacqueline Gold, then 49, and husband Dan Cunningham, then 33, with the couple’s then one-year-old daughter Scarlett on their marriage ceremony day at Oxfordshire’s Blenheim Palace in 2010
Jacqueline, left, who constructed Ann Summers into an enormous model, was described as a ‘warrior’ as she fought stage 4 most cancers
‘As a household, we’re completely heartbroken on the lack of our spouse, mum, sister, and finest buddy.’
Jacqueline took cost of her father’s 4 intercourse outlets again in 1981. She grew the enterprise to 80 shops, which made annual gross sales £113.8million.
A press release from Jacqueline Gold’s household on the time mentioned: ‘It’s with unspeakable disappointment that Ann Summers verify our superb govt chair Jacqueline Gold CBE handed away yesterday night together with her husband Dan, daughter Scarlett, sister Vanessa, and brother-in-law Nick, by her aspect’.
Jacqueline was final pictured laying flowers for her father within the East Finish of London on the day of his funeral. She was heartbroken at this dying and mentioned on the time that the Gold household had misplaced ‘our hero’.
Jacqueline was made a CBE within the 2016 New 12 months Honours for companies to entrepreneurship, girls in enterprise and social enterprise.
In the identical yr she was identified with breast most cancers, which she credited with remodeling her life as a result of it pressured her to take pleasure in issues extra.
In 2022 she wrote: ‘It is no secret I’ve been by way of a whole lot of tragedy in my life. While I would favor issues to have been completely different, I cope by discovering the chance in a nasty scenario. For instance, if it wasn’t for my breast most cancers prognosis six years in the past I wouldn’t be dwelling my finest life now. For those who practice your thoughts to seek out the constructive in each occasion you’ll banish fear and really feel empowered’.
Jacqueline, pictured in 2000, started as an intern on the firm earlier than changing into CEO. At one level she was stitching bras (pictured)
Jacqueline Gold being made a CBE by the Princess Royal throughout an investiture ceremony at Windsor Fortress in 2016
Jacqueline’s sister Vanessa (left) together with her father and sibling, mentioned the household are heartbroken
In addition to battling breast most cancers, she had additionally struggled to have youngsters.
After a failed marriage she met Dan Cunningham, a Metropolis dealer 17 years her junior.
They break up in 2006 after three failed IVF makes an attempt – however acquired again collectively and married in 2010.
In 2009 the couple misplaced their son Alfie at eight months.
The multi-millionaire businesswoman was advised her son Alfie had an abnormality that meant he wouldn’t survive childbirth.
However the little boy fought for eight months after delivery however was by no means nicely sufficient to go away hospital. Alfie’s twin sister, Scarlett, survived and was her mom’s pleasure and pleasure.
Talking on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs in 2018, Jacqueline mentioned: ‘Alfie did survive the delivery. He was crying when he was born however not as infants do – he was crying as a result of he was in ache. No mom ought to need to undergo that, to listen to her youngster cry in ache.’
She added: ‘I desperately need my daughter to develop up believing she might be no matter she needs to be.’
David Gold mentioned Jacqueline and her sister Vanessa had remodeled Ann Summers. When he purchased the model together with his brother Ralph in 1972, it had 4 shops.
The London-based firm served as a typical intercourse store beneath the possession of its founder, Michael Caborn-Waterfield.
In 1981 Jacqueline was introduced into the corporate. She rapidly set about making her mark, introducing the ‘Celebration Plan’ idea.
David and Ralph Gold purchased Ann Summers and its 4 shops in 1972 (Marble Arch pictured).
Jacqueline helped rework the model and construct up 80 shops throughout the UK
This is able to see ‘events’ held on the properties of consumers, the place girls can be given shows on intercourse toys and lingerie, and would play celebration video games. These proved wildly standard and a great way of getting round legal guidelines that prevented intercourse toys being placed on public show.
Ann Summers now has 80 excessive avenue shops in Britain and Eire, and within the years since has turn into synonymous with the sale of lingerie and grownup toys.
Jacqueline Gold’s father David had one in every of Britain’s final rag to riches tales.
He and his brother Ralph, two years his junior, spoke about their wrestle to flee the appalling poverty and anti-Semitism into which they have been born within the East Finish of London within the Thirties.
Gold grew up throughout the street from West Ham’s Boleyn floor, and as a proficient footballer himself, he had hoped that he turn into a star there.
His market dealer father, Godfrey, was out and in of jail for theft, receiving stolen items and driving a getaway automotive.
He additionally had brushes with the Krays and the Richardsons, two gangster households who dominated east and south-east London within the Fifties and Sixties.
The Gold brothers lurked simply outdoors the highest 100 of the Sunday Occasions Wealthy Record for a yr – at one time having been one place above the Queen – and have been value a staggering £525 million.
The Sunday Occasions Wealthy Record claimed in 2019 that Gold’s daughter Jacquie was value £470 million.
