As the unrivalled queen of romantic, racy fiction set in the imaginary county of Rutshire, she has been dreaming up bestsellers for decades, all of them with scandalous plots, shocking shenanigans and an assortment of handsome cads and bullish bounders from the posh polo set.
And as she exclusively invites us to join her and her five grandchildren at her 14thcentury home in the Cotswolds ahead of the launch of her latest novel, Tackle!, she tells us how she has swapped the polo field for the football pitch and showjumping champions for Premier League stars.
It was, Jilly tells us – as her grandsons Jago, 19, Lysander, 17, and Acer, 15, and granddaughters Scarlett, 14, and Sienna, 12, kick a ball around the lawn of her country garden – former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson who inspired her change of direction.
“I was looking for a new subject for my next book when I found myself sitting next to him at a lovely lunch,” she recalls. “He was so charming, funny, relaxed and gorgeous. After that, I just got going.”
NEW GOALS
Setting her new novel in the world of football involved extensive research. For although Jilly had occasionally reported on football matches after leaving school to work on the Middlesex Independent – “one of my headlines was: ‘Oh Brentford, how could you!’” she giggles – she describes herself as a “football ignoramus”.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 06, 2023 من HELLO! UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 06, 2023 من HELLO! UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
OSCAR-WINNING FAMILY MAN - EDDIE REDMAYNE
GOES UNDERCOVER TO LEARN REAL-LIFE SPY SKILLS FOR DREAM ROLE
NEW ROYAL REVELATIONS THE KING IS REVEALED AS A 'KINDLY SOUL' WHO'S OPEN TO A RECONCILIATION WITH HARRY
They may have had a strained relationship in recent years, but reconciliation could finally be on the cards for the King and his son the Duke of Sussex-once Prince Harry's legal challenges are over.
JUDE LAW: TAKING ON A 'BROKEN' F.B.I. AGENT IN NEW THRILLER
REVEALS HOW TAKING THE REINS AS A PRODUCER HAS PUT HIM IN CONTROL OF A NEW CHAPTER IN HIS CAREER
THE MARCHIONESS OF BATH - OUR SOCIAL EDITOR AT LARGE STEPS OUT IN STYLE IN MOROCCO
No sooner had I jetted back from the glamour of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York than it was time to hop on to another plane this time my destination was Marrakech.
DEMI MOORE: BREAKING DOWN BEAUTY STEREOTYPES
ON HOW GORY NEW FILM GAVE HER THE 'GIFT' OF SEEING HERSELF ANEW
THE PRINCE OF WALES - AT THE EARTHSHOT PRIZE AWARDS
DRAWS PEOPLE FROM ACROSS AFRICA TO FOCUS ON PROTECTING THE PLANET
HELLO! to KINDNES: IDRIS ELBA
For World Kindness Day 2024, HELLO! is celebrating the selfless celebrities, campaigning royals and fabulous fundraisers who prove that being kind isn't determined by who you are, but by what you do. Introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, this special day on 13 November encourages us all to practise kindness in our daily lives, helping us nurture our feelings of empathy, understanding and compassion to create a more caring world.
LIGHTING UP LONDON AT 'UNSTOPPABLE' PREMIERE - JENNIFER LOPEZ
SAYS SHARING STORIES OF DIFFICULT RELATIONSHIPS HELPED HER BRING A STRUGGLING MUM TO LIFE
DIGGING DEEP IN HER OWN FAMILY LIFE - SAOIRSE RONAN
ON PORTRAYING MOTHERHOOD IN INTENSE WARTIME DRAMA
A-LISTERS FLOCK TO LOS ANGELES FOR LACMA'S-GLITZY NIGHT OUT
MUSEUM SMASHES FUNDRAISING RECORD AS STARS GLITTER IN GUCCI
