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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Daniel Bird

Katie Waissel's gran who was 'oldest prostitute in UK' dies at 93

Katie Waissel's gran, Sheila Vogel-Coupe has died aged 93, it has been confirmed.

Sheila had been extremely open about her career and had previously charged around £250 per hour for her services which she started during her retirement.

The family woman had used the title 'Grand Dame' while advertising her explicit services which she continued to carry out until the coronavirus pandemic took hold in 2020.

Now, her family have spoken of her loss, confirming that Sheila died on November 25, with her daughter Josie describing her as "amazing".

"We were so proud of her," said Josie.

Sheila Vogel-Coupe has sadly died aged 93 (Channel 4)
Katie Waissel had a strained relationship with her gran (Channel 5)

Speaking to The Sun, she added: "Her passing deserves a mention because she was so unique."

It was reported that Sheila was the "oldest prostitute" in the United Kingdom and took up the profession when she was 85 back in 2010.

In 2014, it emerged she was seeing ten clients per week before starring in her own Channel 4 documentary, My Granny the Escort about her and two other prostitutes.

When the news about Sheila's career emerged, it is believed Katie and her mum Diane were left extremely upset.

Sheila said: "I work as a prostitute because I love it. It gives me great satisfaction and keeps me young. I could go on for years yet. Why should I stop?

"I think of myself as a refined lady giving a very special service men are not going to get anywhere else."

Sheila spoke openly about her career over the years (Ken McKay / Rex Features)
Katie was left speechless when she found out about Sheila's career (David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)

In 2016, it was claimed that Katie was still estranged from Sheila after the news came out during her appearance on The X Factor.

Speaking about the reaction her family had to her career, the late grandmother told The Daily Mail in 2014: "You'd think I had committed a murder.

"They couldn't believe it, I said, 'What do you think I've done?' But everyone thinks about things differently I guess.

"They wanted me to promise I would never do it again, but I told them to stuff it."

Meanwhile, Katie said at the time: "It was an enormous shock for me and my family, we are all very close so it was a bolt out of the blue.

"It's still really difficult for me and especially for my mother, and we've not reconciled with her."

Nowadays, Katie is campaigning for a safer entertainment industry and has called on the Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport to meet with her to work out how to keep artists and public figures working to a professional and secure standard.

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