Profumo Sex Scandal: Mandy Rice-Davies Dies

Mandy Rice-Davies, a key figure in the Profumo sex scandal that rocked the British Establishment in the 1960s, has died.

A spokesman for publicist Hackford Jones said the 70-year-old had died from cancer.

The spokesman said: "It is with deep sadness that the family of Marilyn Foreman, also known as Mandy Rice-Davies, have confirmed that she passed away yesterday evening after a short battle with cancer.

"They have asked for their privacy to be respected and no further comment will be made."

Along with her friend Christine Keeler, the model and showgirl achieved notoriety in 1963 for her involvement in a sex and espionage scandal which led to the resignation of War Minister John Profumo and seriously discredited the Conservative government of Harold Macmillan.

Rice-Davies was also famous for her comment in court when told that a member of the House of Lords had denied he had ever met her.

To laughter in the court, she quipped: "He would, wouldn't he?"

Born near Llanelli and raised in Solihull, Rice-Davies was a dancer and model in Soho when she met Keeler. Through Keeler's friend Stephen Ward, a well-connected osteopath, she was introduced to figures from high society, including politicians and peers.

One of their circle - whom Rice-Davies never met - was Profumo, with whom Keeler was having an affair. Keeler was at the same time involved with a Soviet attache.

When the scandal erupted, Profumo initially denied any involvement with Keeler, but was subsequently forced to resign. He withdrew from politics and dedicated the rest of his life to charitable works.

Rice-Davies testified at the trial of Ward, who was accused of living off immoral earnings, where she made her famous remark. Ward committed suicide before the verdict.

She subsequently traded on her notoriety, opening several nightclubs and restaurants. She later turned her hand to acting, appearing in films including Absolute Beginners.

The Profumo affair, occurring on the cusp of the Swinging Sixties and giving a glimpse of Establishment hypocrisy, has persisted in the public imagination, inspiring the 1989 film Scandal, in which Rice-Davies was played by Bridget Fonda, and a 2013 musical scored by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Speaking of the scandal years later she said: "If I could live my life over, I would wish 1963 had not existed.

"The only reason I still want to talk about it is that I have to fight the misconception that I was a prostitute. I don't want that to be passed on to my grandchildren. There is still a stigma."

She was married three times and reportedly divided her time between homes in Miami, the Bahamas and Virginia Water, Surrey.

Lord Lloyd Webber said: "Mandy was enormously well-read and intelligent. I will always remember discussing with her over dinner subjects as varied as Thomas Cromwell's dissolution of the monasteries and the influence of the artist Stanley Spencer on Lucian Freud.

"With a different throw of the dice, Mandy might have been head of the Royal Academy or even running the country. She became a dear friend and I will miss her."