The Duchess of York has watched the controversies surrounding her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, with increasing alarm, but her sister has experienced even more drama with the man in her life.
Jane Ferguson has revealed that she watched her long-term boyfriend, Ramin Marzbani, ‘die’ in front of her, after he suffered a catastrophic heart attack.
‘He thought he had eaten too much pizza and it was just heartburn, but then he collapsed,’ she says of the horrifying events.
‘He didn’t want to go to hospital, but I drove him there, rather than calling an ambulance.
‘Ten minutes later, he had a heart attack and died right there on the table.’
Medical staff in the A&E department at Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital in Australia, where the couple live, brought Marzbani, 57, back to life before placing seven stents in his heart.
Duchess of York’s sister Jane Ferguson and businessman Ramin MarzbaniInstagram
Like Sarah, twice-married Jane is the daughter of the late ‘Galloping Major’ Ronald Ferguson, polo manager to Prince Charles, and his first wife, Susie.
She says she struggled to force entrepreneur Marzbani into a period of convalescence.
‘Afterwards, they asked how I was ever going to keep Ramin at home to recover, because he is a workaholic,’ she says.
‘Their best advice was to get him a dog and to take him on holiday.’
The sisters’ relationship had been frosty since Jane disputed Fergie’s claim that their late mother ‘physically assaulted’ her.
The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson arrives with her sister Jane and niece Heidi in Sydney, pictured in 2003
However, Jane says the Duchess is an admirer of Marzbani. ‘Oh yes, [Sarah and Ramin] have met and they got on like a house on fire,’ says Jane, 64.
The whole family met up for niece Princess Eugenie’s royal wedding three years ago. ‘Sarah calls Ramin ‘The Headmaster’.
Why? Because his general knowledge is incredible. He is like someone I’ve never really met before and he brings out the best in me, that’s for sure.’
Julie’s the first lady of yoga…
Julie Montagu must be Britain’s most flexible aristocrat.
Here’s the wife of Viscount Hinchingbrooke, heir to the 11th Earl of Sandwich, performing a standing split yoga pose with one leg in the air.
Even more impressive, perhaps, is the fact that Julie manages to muster a smile for the camera.
Julie Montagu must be Britain’s most flexible aristocrat
‘Scheduling in even just 15 minutes for yourself can give you more energy yet make you feel more tranquil, too,’ muses the American divorcee, 47, who starred in reality series Ladies Of London.
A newly qualified yoga instructor, Julie has been teaching virtual classes from her home, Mapperton House, in Dorset.
Garden guru Alan Titchmarsh claims that when he collected his MBE from the Queen, she told him: ‘You give a lot of ladies a lot of pleasure.’
But he could have been charming viewers of ITV’s biggest show. ‘I was offered I’m A Celebrity this year and I declined,’ reveals Titch, who’s a judge of the first Isle of Wight Book Awards.
He tells me: ‘I like being on television doing a job or showing something rather than just picking up the fluff from my navel. I would probably want to find a patch of jungle and start gardening.’
Suits you, er, sir!
Who’s this refined gent come to watch the racing with his wispy grey whiskers, thick-rimmed spectacles, top hat and binoculars?
You will be shocked to learn it’s actually Princess Diana’s bridesmaid India Hicks.
The 54-year-old daughter of interior designer David Hicks and granddaughter of the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma dressed up as an old man for a fundraiser near her home in the Bahamas.
You will be shocked to learn this refined gent come to watch the racing with his wispy grey whiskers, thick-rimmed spectacles, top hat and binoculars is actually Princess Diana’s bridesmaid India Hicks.
India Hicks, 54, was Princess Diana’s bridesmaid
‘I happened to win best-dressed man,’ she boasts. ‘Maybe it was my father’s tie, maybe it was the wild horses who I brought with me.’
The ‘wild horses’ were strapping young men wearing animal heads, including her son, Amory Flint Wood, 22.
When asked what her husband, David Flint Wood, thought of her new look, she giggles: ‘He’s not home!’
Old Etonian explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes once lopped off two of his frostbitten fingers using a set of fretsaw blades to save himself a £6,000 surgery bill following a trip to the North Pole in 2000.
And he’s showing similar determination to stay in shape as he approaches his ninth decade. ‘Now, aged 77, I have to do daily squats twice a day, and press-ups — 25 at a time.’ he says.
How many toffs are needed to save a theatre?
The Duchess of Beaufort and the Earl of Dudley have teamed up to try to stop Dudley Hippodrome — which has played host to the likes of Ken Dodd, Bruce Forsyth and Tommy Cooper — being demolished.
Local councillors voted to allow the venue to be replaced by a university building, but Cabinet minister Michael Gove has the power to ‘call in’ the scheme for review.
‘The theatre building is an iconic part of Dudley’s rich history and heritage,’ says the Earl, whose ancestor donated the land it was built on.
‘It is of huge significance historically due to the number and quality of world-class performers who have played there.’
A lucrative re-Brand for comic and his wife?
Anti-capitalist Russell Brand is investing some of his capital in a new business.
He and his wife, TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher’s sister Laura, could be slinging burgers together after setting up a company, Brand New Collective.
Anti-capitalist Russell Brand, pictured with his wife TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher’s sister Laura, could be slinging burgers together after setting up a company, Brand New Collective
According to documents filed at Companies House, it could run restaurants, takeaway food shops and mobile food stands, as well as buying and selling property.
The couple, right, are good business partners: their other company, specialising in TV production, held £2 million last year.
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