Became a bonkbuster bestseller

AS THE undisputed queen of the British bonkbuster, she created a world of impossibly handsome men, hilarious social satire, bruising class-conflict, with plenty of outdoor sex thrown in just for good measure.

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Jilly Cooper was a kind of Jane Austen for the modern world.

Among her most successful titles were the “Rutshire Chronicles”: gripping tales of sexual intrigue among the polo-playing classes, set in the fictional county of Rutshire.

They included Rivals, Riders and The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous, the first of which was recently adapted by Disney+ for television, proving that her work was as popular as ever. Fans bought her books in the millions and she often topped the best seller lists.

Born Jilly Sallitt in Hornchurch, Essex, her father was Brigadier WB Sallitt OBE, a Dunkirk veteran and very much a model for Cooper's fictional male characters.