How Ann Summers boss Jacqueline Gold survived heartache and poisoning by nanny to sexually empower generation of women
SHE overhauled the sex shop industry and empowered millions of women in the bedroom and the boardroom.
But yesterday, the family of Ann Summers boss Jacqueline Gold announced with “unspeakable sadness”, that she had died from breast cancer aged 62.
The entrepreneur, who launched the hugely successful Ann Summers parties and rebooted the brand to attract female customers, passed away with husband Dan, 45, daughter Scarlett, 14, and sister Vanessa by her side.
The news comes just weeks after the death of her 86-year-old father, West Ham chairman David Gold, who she called “our hero”.
Vanessa, 56, who worked with her sister at Ann Summers and Knickerbox, said: “Jacqueline courageously battled stage 4 breast cancer for seven years and was an absolute warrior throughout her cancer journey.
“In life she was a trailblazer, a visionary, and the most incredible woman, all of which makes this news that much harder to bear.
“As a family, we are utterly heartbroken at the loss.”
Tributes from celebrities also poured in yesterday.
Dragon’s Den star Deborah Meaden described Jacqueline as “a visionary and trailblazer for women in business”.
Her co-star Theo Paphitis added: “She was a lovely lady and it was an honour to have known her.”
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Jacqueline’s dad’s club said: “Everyone at West Ham United has been left deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Jacqueline Gold.”
Actress Angela Griffin said: “So sad to hear that Jaqueline Gold has passed. We filmed #BriefEncounters based on the rise of Ann Summers and she was a magnificent woman. Literally gave joy! Rest well.”
Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark called her “one of the loveliest people I have met. A kind, modest, positive woman who adored her family”.
'Find the positive'
Jacqueline is responsible for transforming her dad’s handful of sex shops into the high street lingerie and sex toy chain it is today.
In the process she became the 16th richest woman in Britain, worth around £470million.
But she suffered tragedy and heartache along the way, including sexual abuse, fertility struggles and the death of her baby son Alfie.
When Jacqueline was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016, she vowed to stay positive.
Last year, she said: “It’s no secret I have been through a lot of tragedy in my life.
"Whilst I would prefer things to have been different, I cope by finding the opportunity in a bad situation.
“For example, if it wasn’t for my breast cancer diagnosis six years ago I wouldn’t be living my best life now.
“If you train your mind to find the positive in every event you will banish worry and feel empowered.”
Jacqueline’s dad split from her mother, Beryl Hunt, when she was 12.
David, who had been born into abject poverty in the East End, had caught his wife cheating on him with his best friend in the family swimming pool — on the same day he had also discovered his father stealing his shares.
Jacqueline later described her childhood as “unhappy,” revealing she was sexually abused at 15 by Beryl’s second husband.
In her 2007 book, A Woman’s Courage, she revealed how she was “groomed” by the man she called “John” and recalled the fear she felt at night when he came to her room.”
She added the abuse was “about cruelty, not about sex”.
Jacqueline remained close to her dad and did work experience at his chain of Ann Summers sex shops, during the summer of 1979, on a wage of £45 a week — less than the tea lady.
At the time, they were seen as grubby backstreet stores where unmentionable items were hidden behind blacked-out windows from view of “respectable” shoppers.
She has said: “It wasn’t a very nice atmosphere to work in.
“It was all men, it was the sex industry as we all perceive it to be.”
But a chance invitation to a Tupperware party in a London flat, in 1981, gave Jacqueline the idea of selling lingerie and sex toys to women in the privacy of their own homes.
The Ann Summers parties, which had a “no men” policy, allowed women to view its products — including the famous Rampant Rabbit vibrator — over a glass of wine.
It also gave women a safe space to discuss sex with their friends and proved an ingenious way to get round the ban on sex toys being displayed in public.
It also gave women a safe space in which to discuss sex with friends and proved an ingenious way to get round the ban on sex toys being displayed in public.
The parties were a hit — with Jacqueline revealing Zara Phillips had even hosted one for pals — and she was made CEO of Ann Summers in 1987.
Her focus on female empowerment turned around the fortunes of the brand and there are now 80 stores across the UK.
In recent years she reinforced the brand message by collaborating with celebs, including Love Island’s Maura Higgins.
Celebrating Ann Summer’s 50th birthday in 2021, Jacqueline revealed that when she first joined the company “women were too embarrassed to go in and buy what they wanted for themselves”.
She added: “From there I think we almost created a movement as we were growing so fast, whereby women found their voice and knew what they wanted, and that empowerment evolved from the bedroom into the workplace.”
She added: “Sexual empowerment for every woman remains at the heart of everything we do, and not many other lingerie retailers can say they really stand for something so powerful.”
'Tough on the body'
The mogul, who was also behind the purchase of the Knickerbox chain in 2000, was awarded a CBE in 2016 for services to entrepreneurship, women in business and social enterprise.
But there were many bumps in the road in her personal life.
After a short-lived marriage to a dancer early on in her career, she met Dan Cunningham, a City broker 17 years her junior.
But the toll of three failed IVF attempts contributed to their split in 2006.
After reuniting with Dan, Jacqueline became pregnant with twins, Scarlett and Alfie.
But the couple were warned their son was unlikely to survive the birth due to an abnormality. While he defied the odds, Alfie died at eight months old in 2009.
She told Desert Island Discs in 2018: “He was crying when he was born but not as babies do — he was crying because he was in pain. No mother should have to go through that, to hear her child cry in pain.”
The couple married in 2010, but in a bizarre episode the same year, their daughter’s nanny was charged with attempting to poison Jacqueline.
Allison Cox, then 33, was jailed for 12 months after admitting she laced bowls of soup with screenwash, in a bid to get the family’s chef in trouble.
After finding a pea-sized lump in her breast, Jacqueline was diagnosed with cancer in October 2016.
She described her treatment as “brutal”.
She said: “Anyone who has been through it knows how tough it is on your body. I lost my hair, which was really upsetting.
"But chemotherapy also made me lose my sight. Thankfully, it’s come back, but for most of the year it was blurry.”
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After she was given the all-clear in 2017, the cancer returned and Jacqueline had a mastectomy two years later.
In 2020 she said she wanted “to continue to empower women in business and the bedroom — and that will be her legacy.
Power to all women
By Georgette Culley, Sex & Relationships Editor
JACQUELINE’S death is a huge loss for women.
She spearheaded the sexual wellness movement which empowered women in and out of the bedroom.
When she started out in the 1980s, sex shops were seedy. But Jacqueline created stores which allowed women to shop for lingerie and sex aids in a non-judgmental, safe environment.
Her instincts and vision made her rich and famous.
More than 40 years on, Ann Summers stores are adorned with aisles of lingerie, roleplay outfits and discreet corners for kinkier items.
Jacqueline was never afraid to push boundaries, with edgy ad campaigns and the message: “Self-care and self-love is the motto”.
One of my first adventures into adulthood was an Ann Summers party – huge when I was growing up.
Back then, women did not have much exposure to sex education and Ann Summers bashes were enlightening.
“Sex positivity” is now big business, with the global female sex toy market worth £2billion.
Most women own one – and they can thank Jacqueline for that.