Guy Ritchie’s campaigning stepmother dies

Friends and colleagues today paid tribute to film-maker Guy Ritchie’s stepmother who has died aged 63.

Shireen Ritchie, a councillor for Kensington and Chelsea and a Conservative working peer, had been suffering from cancer.

Baroness Jenkin of Kennington, who revealed the death on Twitter, said Baroness Ritchie was a founder and supporter of Women2Win, the campaign to get more Tory women elected to Parliament, and called her “an inspiration”.

Kensington and Chelsea council leader Sir Merrick Cockell, said: “Shireen was a much-loved colleague who will be greatly missed by all associated with the council. She worked tirelessly to champion the interests of families and children in the Royal Borough and nationally, and was a hugely respected figure in this field.” Tory MP Louise Mensch tweeted of her “utter dismay” at the “incredible loss”.

Baroness Ritchie had been in a hospice for the past few months and died this week. Only family, close friends and colleagues knew of her illness.

Her life in more recent years became intrinsically linked to the Hollywood A-list, with her stepson’s marriage to Madonna. The pop star, 53, and Ritchie, 43, divorced in 2008 after eight years of marriage. They had a son together, Rocco, 11, and adopted a Malawian boy, David Banda, now six.

Margot James, MP for Stourbridge, said the death of her “mentor and good friend” was a shock, adding: “I will miss her a great deal.

“She brought incredible passion and commitment to her role as cabinet member for children’s services. She maintained contact with children in care in the borough even after they had been placed with families outside.”