Jacqueline Gold CBE: CEO of Ann Summers for decades, one of Britain's wealthiest and most successful businesswomen, who popularized sex toys and led a crusade to destigmatize female sexuality.
What this episode covers
Jacqueline Gold sits with Steven Bartlett to share an extraordinarily candid account of her life and career. She describes a traumatic childhood marked by sexual abuse from her mother's partner, which drove her need for financial independence. Joining her father's business Ann Summers at 19, she pioneered women-only home parties and transformed the brand into a female-empowerment institution despite fierce opposition, death threats, and discrimination. She also opens up about surviving breast cancer, the loss of her son Alfie to a severe brain condition, IVF struggles, and being poisoned by her own nanny. Throughout, she credits her relentless optimism bias and resilience for carrying her through.
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
HelloFresh
HelloFresh
“she would also prepare our meals. So all I had to do, before HelloFresh and Gusto, it's what I had to do”— guest
Gousto
Gousto
“before HelloFresh and Gusto, it's what I had to do to, you know, she'd just make it easier for me.”— guest
The Apprentice
BBC
“I basically got through off the apprentice, the junior apprentice when I was 14 years old, as some of you might know.”— Steven Bartlett
Good Morning Britain
ITV
“She appeared on Good Morning Britain first thing in the morning and was at court in the afternoon”— guest
The Late Late Show
RTE
“I was invited on the Late Late Show which is sort of got a bit of a cult following.”— guest
Big reveals from this episode
- Jacqueline was sexually abused by her mother's boyfriend between the ages of 12 and 15, abuse she believes her mother knew about.
- At 15 she confronted her abuser by framing it as 'not fair on mom,' and the abuse stopped after he simply shrugged.
- She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016; it returned and progressed to stage four, but she is now in 'excellent remission.'
- She launched women-only Ann Summers parties after attending a Pippa party, pitching the idea to an all-male board with no business experience.
- Board member Ron Coleman threw down his pen and said 'Women aren't even interested in sex,' which she took as proof the idea would work.
- She received a bullet in the post anonymously a week before flying to Dublin to open a controversial store.
- One of her IVF twins, son Alfie, was born with holoprosencephaly and lived with only enough brain to survive; he later passed away.
- Her trusted nanny poisoned her food with sugar, salt and finally screen wash to get the family cook fired.
Worth remembering
- As a child her mother drew a circle in the sand on beach holidays and forbade her from leaving it.
- Psychological trauma manifested physically for her as tinnitus, a constant marching sound, and severe constipation.
- During the pandemic Ann Summers grew its sales ambassadors from 4,000 to 20,000 in three months.
- Ann Summers sold out of 'penis pasta' during the pandemic pasta shortage.
- She had to advertise 'exotic' parties instead of 'erotic' and couldn't say 'ladies only' due to advertising rules.
- The once-protested Dublin O'Connell Street store is now among Ann Summers' top three performing stores and on the tourist bus route.
- During lockdown top-performing sales ambassadors earned cheques of £30,000 a month.
- The nanny who poisoned her was sentenced to a year in prison but served only three months, then tried to write a book about it.