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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Ellie Ng

MI5’s first female director general Dame Stella Rimington dies aged 90

Dame Stella Rimington, former head of MI5, has died - (Alamy/PA)

Dame Stella Rimington, the pioneering first female director general of MI5, has died aged 90, her family announced.

Dubbed the "housewife superspy" upon taking the role, she was widely credited as the inspiration for Dame Judi Dench’s M in the James Bond films.

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