Jacqueline Gold, Ann Summers tycoon, shares her experience with breast cancer diagnosis.

Jacqueline Gold passed away yesterday at the age of 62 after battling breast cancer. She was most recognized for transforming Ann Summer's sex shops into a booming presence on the main street.

But she also received admiration for being candid about the series of personal calamities she faced - including her battle with the ailment that ultimately led to her demise.

The female entrepreneur, who passed away on Thursday night only ten weeks following the death of her father David, the West Ham owner, battled stage 4 cancer for seven years. She was previously declared cancer-free in 2020 but unfortunately, the illness returned.

Sadly, she experienced a heart-wrenching loss when her eight-month-old son Alfie passed away during an intense IVF journey. She had undergone the treatment to conceive twins with her 31-year-old spouse Dan Cunningham, and it was an extremely emotional experience for them.

In 2011, Jacqueline Gold participated in the launch of an Ann Summers store located in Westfield Stratford City.

Last night, David Gold's daughter Jacqueline passed away following a lengthy struggle with breast cancer.

Jacqueline's claim to fame was her remarkable growth of the adult store franchise Ann Summers into a major player in the retail industry.

When Jacqueline passed away, she was with her loved ones - her spouse, child, and Vanessa, her sister who currently holds the position of CEO at Ann Summers. Vanessa shared that Jacqueline was a fighter, especially since she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016 - the same year she earned a CBE.

Jacqueline's well-known dad, who is also the co-chair of West Ham United, came from a very poor background in the East End. However, he has worked hard and is now worth over £500 million.

On January 4, he passed away due to a brief illness. When he offered Jacqueline an internship at Ann Summers in 1981, it led to the inception of the Ann Summers party, which significantly expanded the brand.

Jacqueline posted a photo of her and her late father at the London Stadium, referring to him as her "hero".

Nearly a decade after that, Ms Gold was promoted to the role of director of the company and shortly after that became its CEO.

In the past few years, she has remained the leader of the business while working as the executive chair. Her sister Vanessa has taken up the position of chief executive officer. The company has a total of 81 stores.

In the New Year Honours of 2016, she was granted a CBE for her contributions to entrepreneurship, promoting women in business, and social enterprise.

In a post on LinkedIn last summer, Jacqueline shared about her experience dealing with cancer. She mentioned that although she has faced a lot of difficulties in her life, she is focusing on the good things.

"Even though I wish things were not like this, I deal with it by discovering the positive aspects in a negative circumstance," she stated.

If I hadn't been diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago, I wouldn't be enjoying my life to the fullest at present.

You can empower yourself by training your mind to find the positive in any situation, which will eliminate worry.

The Gold family expressed deep sorrow as they announced that Jacqueline Gold CBE, their exceptional executive chair, passed away yesterday evening. She was surrounded by her loved ones, including her husband Dan, daughter Scarlett, sister Vanessa, and brother-in-law Nick.

Two months ago, Jacqueline was photographed placing flowers in the East End of London, where her father was laid to rest. She was deeply saddened by his passing and expressed that the Gold family had lost their beloved "hero."

In the 2016 New Year Honours, Jacqueline earned the title of CBE for her contributions to entrepreneurship, promoting women in business, and supporting social enterprise.

During the year, she received a breast cancer diagnosis that she attributed to transforming her life for the better. This was because it taught her to appreciate and enjoy the little things in life more fully.

In the previous year, she mentioned that she had experienced a lot of unfortunate incidents in her life. Even though she wished it could have been different, she deals with it by seeing opportunities in difficult situations. A prime example is when she was diagnosed with breast cancer six years back, which changed her life for the better. She believes that if one teaches their mind to seek out the good in every circumstance, they will eliminate worry and feel empowered.

Not only did she struggle with breast cancer, but she also faced challenges when trying to become a mother. Following a unsuccessful marriage, she crossed paths with Dan Cunningham, a finance professional who is 17 years younger than her.

They separated in 2006 after three unsuccessful IVF tries. However, in 2010, they reconciled and got married. Sadly, the couple experienced the loss of their son, Alfie, at just eight months old in 2009.

The businesswoman with a lot of money was informed that she had a medical condition that indicated she would not survive giving birth.

The small boy put up a fight for eight months following his birth. However, his health never improved enough to allow him to leave the hospital. On the other hand, Alfie's twin sister, Scarlett, managed to pull through and became a source of pride and joy for their mother.

Last summer, Jacqueline Gold shared on LinkedIn about her experience dealing with cancer.

In January, Jacqueline and her sister Vanessa joined Lesley Manning, David Gold's partner, in paying their respects to Mr Gold by laying flowers on Green Street. This was where Mr Gold had grown up before his passing in the same month.

In 2010, Jacqueline Gold, who was 49 at the time, tied the knot with her husband Dan Cunningham, who was 33 years old. They celebrated their marriage with their one-year-old daughter Scarlett at Oxfordshire's Blenheim Palace.

Jacqueline, on the left, built Ann Summers into a massive brand. She was called a 'fighter' because she battled stage 4 cancer.

During an appearance on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs back in 2018, Jacqueline discussed her experience with giving birth to her son, Alfie. She revealed that although he did survive the delivery, he was not crying in the typical way newborn babies do. Unfortunately, Alfie was crying due to the pain he was experiencing as a result of the challenging birth. Jacqueline expressed her heartache at having to hear her child cry out in agony and emphasized that no mother should ever have to endure this kind of distress.

She stated: "It is of utmost importance to me that my daughter develops the belief that she can achieve any goal she sets her mind to."

According to Jacqueline's dad, David, both she and her sister Vanessa have made significant changes to the brand. Sadly, two months ago, David passed away in the company of Jacqueline, Vanessa, and his fiancée Lesley.

In 1972, David Gold and his brother Ralph took ownership of Ann Summers, which had a total of four retail locations at the time.

The founder of the company, Michael Caborn-Waterfield, owned a typical sex shop that was located in London.

Jacqueline joined the company in 1981 and wasted no time in creating a name for herself by introducing the innovative concept of the 'Party Plan'.

In the past, private 'gatherings' were arranged by the company for their clients' homes, where ladies were provided with demonstrations on various intimate products, such as adult toys and underwear, and also enjoyed playing amusing games. These events became highly favored and acted as a clever workaround for the restrictions that prohibited the exhibition of sexual devices in public areas.

Currently, Ann Summers has a total of 80 physical stores located on high streets in both Britain and Ireland. Throughout the years, the brand has become widely known for selling adult toys and lingerie.

Vanessa, the sister of Jacqueline, who can be seen on the left side along with their father and another sibling, expressed that the entire family is deeply saddened.

The CEO of the company, Jacqueline, started off her career there as an intern. She worked her way up the ladder and eventually became the head honcho. It's worth noting that at one point, she even had a job sewing bras (as seen in the picture from 2000).

In 2016, Jacqueline Gold received a CBE from the Princess Royal at a prestigious Investiture ceremony held at Windsor Castle.

Today, a declaration from the family expressed: 'Jacqueline is famously recognized for establishing Ann Summers and managing a company exclusively for women. She was also a supporter of women's business rights and encouraged female business owners with a desire to improve the professional atmosphere for women.

In just under a decade, she went from being an intern to becoming the Chief Executive Officer. The drive and dedication she had to creating a retail experience that was unparalleled led to a diverse retail chain that included stores, sales representatives, an online presence, and successful partnerships with external businesses. It was her originality and innovation that transformed Ann Summers from a relatively unknown brand into a household name in the United Kingdom and a staple of British retail culture.

Jacqueline's remarkable accomplishments throughout her four-decade-long professional journey were acknowledged with a CBE in the New Year Honours of 2016, in honour of her work in entrepreneurship, support for women in business, and advocacy for social enterprise.

According to the statement released by the family, Jacqueline's demise happened only two months following the death of her father, David Gold. David was the Joint-Chairman of the West Ham United FC. The family of Ann Summers expresses their sincere condolences and thoughts to her husband Dan, daughter Scarlett, and sister Vanessa during this grief-stricken time.

The CEO of Ann Summers and Jacqueline's sibling, Vanessa, expressed that Jacqueline exhibited a remarkable amount of bravery while dealing with stage 4 breast cancer for seven years. She fought her battle with the disease like a warrior. She was a visionary and a trailblazer while she lived her life to the fullest. The statement about her passing is particularly hard to bear. The family is devastated at the loss of such a wonderful woman who was their wife, mother, sister, and friend.

David, Jacqueline Gold's father, had a classic story of going from rags to riches in Britain.

David Gold and his little brother Ralph, who was born two years after him, shared their experience of overcoming extreme poverty and discrimination due to their Jewish background. They were brought up in the East End of London during the 1930s.

Growing up, Mr Gold lived just across the street from the famous Boleyn ground of West Ham. He had always dreamed of becoming a successful football player and being able to play on that prestigious field.

His father, Godfrey, was a market trader who frequently got imprisoned for stealing, receiving stolen items, and being a driver in a getaway car.

He likewise encountered the Krays and the Richardsons, the leading crime clans that held power over the east and south-east districts of London during the period of 1950s and 1960s.

Back in 1972, Ann Summers and its quartet of retail outlets were purchased by David and Ralph Gold. One of those stores, pictured here, was located in Marble Arch.

Jacqueline played a major role in developing the brand and expanding it to 80 stores located throughout the United Kingdom.

Gold shared with the Independent what drew him to become a fan of the club when he was a child. He expressed that at that time, he was around seven or eight years old and was living in extreme poverty, and his father was in prison while his mother worked hard as a maid. Supporting the team became a way for him to escape from his harsh reality.

Rose, a waitress and the mother of David and Ralph, operated a street stand selling buttons and small knick-knacks right in front of their home.

Mr. Gold would explain the distressing experience of witnessing his mother coughing up blood in her bed after having all her teeth removed when she was just 30 years old.

As soon as Mrs. Gold placed some pinup magazines on the table, the boys caught sight of a chance.

During the Sixties, they established their own stand close to Charing Cross Station wherein they initially sold sci-fi literature and magazines. To their surprise, they realized that the most demanded items among customers were the inappropriate publications that exhibited nudity.

The adult entertainment business of The Gold experienced tremendous growth and the siblings purchased their personal establishments in Soho. Their significant earnings began in 1967 when they sold two shops, which were acquired for £20,000 each, for a total of £3 million.

Back in 1972, the siblings purchased Ann Summers along with its four stores, transforming it into a colossal enterprise presently managed by Gold's older child, Jacqueline. During December of 2007, David managed to acquire Ralph's share of the business.

Ralph and David Gold were a strong team, where Ralph, a past boxing champion in the British Army, was the primary person for making deals and David led the planning and management.

They both acknowledged being anxious about never experiencing poverty again.

In a short amount of time, they established seven locations. As the desire for "fashionable" publications increased during this era of newfound openness, the siblings resolved to eliminate intermediaries and form Gold Star Publications to produce their own magazines.

The demand for GSP products was so high that they began supplying to the majority of stores in the United Kingdom. This garnered the interest of both Parliament and law enforcement.

At that particular moment, Gold discovered that his partner Beryl, with whom he had been married for almost two decades, was having an affair with his closest pal while taking a dip in his swimming pool. It was also the day when he caught his very own father red-handed for stealing his stocks.

He used to recount that tale frequently and referred to it as the day that transformed his existence, as it motivated him to amass wealth.

He was able to generate a massive fortune of £500 million through ventures in industries such as real estate, retail, newspaper publishing, football, and air travel. Alongside his prosperous business endeavors, he also found love with his fiancée Lesley.

The collection of risqué material called Gold was bought out by its management team back in 2006. This assortment contained magazines like Raider, Teenage Hardcore, Hardcore Housewives, and Derriere.

Mr. Gold was unapologetic, stating that it is men who are negatively impacted by pornography and not women. He also proudly proclaimed that he has never produced any material that he feels ashamed of, not once.

This picture was posted on Instagram and it depicts David, alongside his daughters Jacqueline and sister Vanessa.

During a conversation when the sale occurred, he declared: 'I have never put out or marketed anything that I deem unethical. If I were to operate a business that distributes tobacco, it would eat me up inside, or if I were connected to narcotics, the guilt would consume me. The idea of inflicting suffering and distress upon others is intolerable to me.'

The reality is that the market for magazines targeting adults deteriorated due to the rise of pornography on the internet.

The Golds made the same choice as a lot of other people, just like their colleague David Sullivan. They opted to sell their assets and pursue more profitable ventures.

For an entire year, the Gold siblings were positioned just below the top 100 on the Sunday Times Rich List. Interestingly, they even managed to surpass Queen Elizabeth in terms of wealth. Their net worth was an incredible £525 million.

David resided in a mansion worth over £10 million, situated on 55 acres of picturesque land in Surrey.

He created an exclusive golfing experience with 18 holes and added a couple of amenities like tennis courts and a swimming pool that he hardly indulges in.

The property boasts a landing pad for his Gazelle helicopter and a strip for his personal Cessna 182 that seats four people, which he operates independently.

The license plate on his Bentley is customised as D GOLD, and his cufflinks are adorned with diamonds to spell out DG.

Ralph, his sibling, purchased a property nearby and established himself in a luxurious abode equipped with a same-value vehicle and a pool.

Before, Gold was the leader of Birmingham City. He acquired it with Sullivan and his sibling for just £1. Later on, he sold his stake in the team for millions of pounds in 2009.

In January 2010, he was appointed as co-chairman of West Ham after the club was taken over. This handover, according to the Hammers, helped safeguard the team's future during a time when financial insecurity was rampant.