She was known for books such as Rivals, Riders, Polo and The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous.
Her children, Felix and Emily, said her death on Sunday morning (October 5) has come as a “complete shock”.
A statement said: “Mum was the shining light in all of our lives. Her love for all of her family and friends knew no bounds.
Dame Jilly Cooper, prolific romance novelist behind the hit show #Rivals, has passed away aged 88. pic.twitter.com/p8XYiDxSb5
— Radio Times (@RadioTimes) October 6, 2025
“Her unexpected death has come as a complete shock. We are so proud of everything she achieved in her life and can’t begin to imagine life without her infectious smile and laughter all around us.”
Jilly was married to publisher Leo Cooper from 1961, but who was her husband, and how did they meet?
Who was Jilly Cooper’s husband?
Leo Cooper was born on March 25, 1934, and was educated at Radley College.
He was a publisher who worked for numerous publishing houses before setting up his own independent publishing house, Leo Cooper Ltd.
In an episode of the How to Fail podcast, Jilly shared that they met when she was around 13 or 14 years old, where he threw a strawberry jelly at someone at a children’s party.
He ended up being a friend of a boyfriend of Jilly’s called Andrew, and expressed affection for her.
Jilly shared: “We went to a dance, and he wrote to me after randomly and he said: ‘Oh I so liked meeting you. I nearly tried to kiss you in the taxi going home when Andrew wasn’t there.’
“I was so shocked, I thought that was very naughty.”
They later reconnected when Leo’s first marriage broke up, and he asked Jilly to marry him on their second date, to which she said yes.
Jilly and Leo married in 1961 and adopted two children, Felix and Emily.
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In 1990, it was revealed that Leo had been engaging in an affair with the publisher Sarah Johnson.
This caused Jilly and Leo to separate before they eventually reconciled.
Leo was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2001 and died in 2013 at the couple’s Gloucestershire home.
