Dame Jilly Cooper made a heartbreaking confession about her husband following his death. It was announced that the bestselling author died aged 88 after a fall on October 5. Dame Jilly's death comes 12 years after her husband's. The couple were married for 53 years before Leo – a book publisher – passed away peacefully aged 79 at their home in Gloucestershire. He had been suffering from Parkinson's disease for more than a decade prior to his death.Â
In 2023, Dame Jilly opened up about the guilt she felt while coping with his battle with the disease, admitting there were times she hoped god would "take him" to end his suffering. "It sounds silly this, but because he had Parkinson's, it's such a shocker," she told The Times. "You almost get to the place where you think, 'Please God, take him.' Then you feel terribly guilty. It's not fair."
Read more: Queen Camilla heartbreak as her friend dies unexpectedly
Read more: Rivals stars Danny Dyer and David Tennant return for filming season two
Ten years after Leo's passing, Jilly revealed that she had "stopped crying" as she came to terms with her grief.
"I've not cried for ages and I didn't. Parkinson's is such a foul disease... it's not fair for anyone to suffer that much," she said.
Their marriage endured many challenges, including infidelity on both sides, infertility, and an ectopic pregnancy, which ultimately led to the adoption of their two much-loved children, Felix and Emily.
Jilly admitted it was painful to navigate the difficult times they experienced, declaring that "adultery hurts very much when it happens to you".Â
In the 1990s, it was revealed that Leo had been involved in a six-year affair with publisher Sarah Johnson. Despite this, the author later admitted that she had chosen to forgive him.Â
"And he couldn't leave me," she said. "He couldn't afford to, poor boy."
Tributes have begun pouring in for the late author, with agent Felicity Blunt saying: "The privilege of my career has been working with a woman who has defined culture, writing and conversation since she was first published over fifty years ago."
She noted that Jilly would be best remembered for her bestselling series, The Rutshire Chronicles, which inspired the hit show Rivals on Disney+.Â
Felicity described Jilly as "emotionally intelligent, fantastically generous, sharply observant and utter fun," adding that she will be missed by everyone.Â
Felix and Emily expressed their "complete shock" at their mother's passing, describing it as entirely unexpected and calling her "a shining light in our lives".