00:00Now I do have a little bit of sad news to bring you, I'm afraid, because we've just learned about the death of the author, Dame Jilly Cooper.
00:10She died aged 88 on Sunday morning and it was after a fall.
00:16So really sad news to bring you today.
00:18Her children, Felix and Emily, have put out a statement to say that mum was the shining light in all of our lives.
00:25Her love for all of her family and friends knew no bounds.
00:27Her unexpected death has come as a complete shock.
00:31We are so proud of everything she achieved in her life.
00:34We can't begin to imagine life without her infectious smile and laughter all around us.
00:40We've also had some tributes coming through from her agent and her publisher as well.
00:44I just want to read you a little bit of what her publisher said because it feels to me like Jilly Cooper is one of these people who was a real trailblazer
00:52and actually revolutionised the way that we read, brought so much enjoyment to people's lives.
00:57This is what Bill Scott Kerr, her publisher, says.
01:00You know, working with Jilly Cooper over the last 30 years has been one of the greatest privileges and joys of my publishing life.
01:07She was said that she may have, Billy said that Jilly may have worn her influence lightly, but she was a true trailblazer.
01:15And he goes on to say that a publishing world without a new Jilly Cooper novel on the horizon is a drabber, less gorgeous place.
01:23And I think that is a very lovely way of putting it.
01:26You know, a woman whose novels touch so many people.
01:29I actually want to bring in Amanda Acas here, who normally talks about politics with us, of course.
01:35But Amanda, you actually had the privilege of interviewing Dame Jilly, didn't you?
01:41When was that?
01:42I did.
01:42It was quite a long time ago.
01:43It was when I was working in local radio in Gloucestershire, probably about 10, 15 years ago or so.
01:50And she, I mean, she was a fabulous interviewee because she was so full of stories.
01:55But this time she started off, we were chatting to her.
01:58It was a radio interviewee, I wasn't there with her.
02:00It was on the phone.
02:01And then about halfway through, she said, darling, I'm actually naked in the bath.
02:04So it's a good thing this isn't on TV.
02:06I love that.
02:07And then she was splashing away just, you know, on the radio in the bath.
02:11And I think that sort of sums up a bit of her kind of effervescent character, really.
02:15I mean, she was just, you know, a fabulous person to speak to.
02:18And as you say, her books, you know, were just brought so much joy to so many people.
02:23And now the TV series as well, that's just kind of reinvigorated, I guess, interest in her.
02:29And I think so many extraordinary stories about her.
02:32I think when she wrote her original, when she wrote Riders the first time,
02:37I think she lost the manuscript on a bus.
02:39And she basically had to redo the entire thing because she never found it again.
02:43And she started again from scratch and redid it.
02:45I mean, quite an extraordinary character who I think really lived the kind of fabulous life that she wrote about.
02:52Yeah, that's it.
02:54Live the fabulous life she wrote about.
02:56And actually that story about interviewing her when she just revealed halfway through that she was in the bath,
03:01I think it perhaps sums up, you know, the world would be a slightly less joyful place without Dame Jilly Cooper in it.
03:07She had that slither of joy and effervescence, as you put it, that she brought to everyone's lives.
03:12So, yeah, the very sad news that the author, Dame Jilly Cooper, has died aged 88 after a fall.
03:19And I'm sure there'll be many tributes throughout the day,
03:21but we've heard those very moving tributes from her family in particular.
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