This Liverpudlian sex-swap pioneer was the first British person to be outed as a transsexual in 1961. Ashley endured electric shock treatment and painful surgery but this didn’t stop her becoming a successful fashion model who appeared in such titles as Vogue. A marriage to the Hon. Arthur Corbett was brief but alleged affairs with Michael Hutchene, Sir Peter O’Toole, Grayson Perry and Omar Sharif are well documented. A true wildcard, Ashley now spends her time campaigning for social equality and lives in Fulham.
Category: CREATIVES
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April Ashley MBE (born Toni Jamieson)
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Scott Disick
This reality television star commented of himself: “I may be a douche to some people, but I actually do run companies. I make a lot of money, and I’m more than capable of supporting myself.” The father of a child by Kourtney Kardashian, Disick owns a restaurant in New York’s Meatpacking District, generally sports Tod’s and boasts an extensive car collection. Sadly one is chrome wrapped.
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Helena Matheopolous
Fluent in six languages, this Athenian was fashion editor of The Tatler and a columnist for The Times. Resident in London’s Knightsbridge, Matheopoulos has written a biography of King Juan Carlos of Spain and wrote Fashion Designers at the Opera in 2011. Her parties are known for being full of character and her presence always brings joy to any room. -
Andrew Embiricos (1985 – 2011)
A descendant of the Aga Khan and the grandson of Rita Heyworth. Gregarious and witty Embiricos was passionate about flying and worked for Virgin Atlantic. His departure came far too soon. -
Benjamin McKenzie (born Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan)
The nephew of Pulitzer-Prize winning playright Robert Schenkkan is best known for having played The O.C.’s Ryan Attwood, a troubled teenager and outcast who is given a second chance and a life of luxury in Newport, California by the rich Cohen family. One of his best lines in the series, which concluded in 2007, was: “You know what I like about rich kids? [punches another character] Nothing.” He’s since excelled as a rookie police officer in the NBC drama Southland and is most definitely one to watch. -
William Roache MBE (better known as Ken Barlow)
“Cock Roache” as he’s known (he’s supposedly bedded over 1,000 women) has been in Coronation Street since December 1960. He’s the world’s longest serving television actor and is also on the board of directors of Owen Oyston’s Oystons Estate Agency. -
Steven Berkoff
Steven Berkoff is a titan of the stage and a might with a pen. He’s best known for playing the darkest of characters but in reality he’s charm personified. Berkoff beat Julie Burchill in a libel case in 1996 and finds it “flattering” to play evil characters. He lives on the river in a converted warehouse in Limehouse with his delightful partner, the Danish pianist Clara Fischer, and often sports the snazziest loafers in town. -
Shireen Ritchie, The Rt. Hon. The Baroness Ritchie (1945 – 2012)
The stepmother of Guy Ritchie was the “grande dame” of the Kensington & Chelsea Conservative Association. This tireless campaigner encouraged diversity within the Tory party and successfully thwarted Lady Meyer’s attempts to become the candidate for the constituency. For that alone she deserved her knighthood. May she rest in peace. -
Eugene Carokis
He’s shunned Facebook and Twitter and is often to be found in the V&A library at weekends. Some say Carokis is developing an intellectual side but his day job is more typically Greek. This diplomat’s son works in shipping and is especially talented at making Greek salads. His costume choices for fancy dress parties are anything other than conservative. -
Anouska Hempel (Lady Weinberg)
The founder of the world’s first boutique hotel moved to London in 1962 with just £10 to her name. She’s acted with Anton Rodgers in Zodiac and was in the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service but it as a designer of global repute that she is best known. Married to Sir Mark Weinberg, the founder of St. James’s Place Wealth Management, Hempel was born on a boat sailing from Papua New Guinea to New Zealand. This society figure’s first hotel, Blakes, created in 1978, is the favourite of personalities such as Sharon Stone and Seal and still sets the barometer for style today.