Jilly Cooper in her own words: 8 witty and heartfelt quotes from the late author - including men and marriage

The bestselling author and 'queen of the bonkbuster' Dame Jilly Cooper has died after a fall at the age of 88, her family announced on Monday.

The English author is behind the much-loved books the Rutshire Chronicles, including Riders and Rivals. She is best known for her so-called "bonkbuster" style novel exploring romance, sex and upper-class life.

Her children Felix and Emily described her as the “shining light” in their lives while the author’s agent Felicity Blunt said working with her was “the privilege” of her career.

Ms Blunt, who is the sister of British actress Emily Blunt, said: “Her plots were both intricate and gutsy, spiked with sharp observations and wicked humour. She regularly mined her own life for inspiration and there was something Austenesque about her dissections of society, its many prejudices and norms.

“But if you tried to pay her this compliment, or any compliment, she would brush it aside. She wrote, she said, simply ‘to add to the sum of human happiness’. In this regard as a writer she was and remains unbeatable.”

She added: “Emotionally intelligent, fantastically generous, sharply observant and utter fun Jilly Cooper will be deeply missed by all at Curtis Brown and on the set of Rivals.

“I have lost a friend, an ally, a confidante and a mentor. But I know she will live forever in the words she put on the page and on the screen.”

Her first book, How To Stay Married, was written in 1969 but her first big hit came with Riders published in 1985 which went straight to the top of best seller lists. In total she has written or helped to compile 44 other books.

Riders was her first novel to be adapted for a two part TV series, which hit nine million viewers for the first episode.

As tributes to the late author roll in, we’ve put together eight of her best quotes on love and life from over the years.