Born in 1937, Dame Jilly Cooper began her career as a reporter on a local paper in Brentford, covering everything from fetes to football. Her first book, How to Stay Married, was published in 1969. Since then, she has written romantic novels, children’s books and non-fiction, but is probably best known for The Rutshire Chronicles, the chart bursting series that includes Riders, Rivals and Polo, and her most recent best seller, Tackle!