Shirley Conran

Dame Shirley Conran DBE
Conran on the cover of Superwoman (1977)
Born	Shirley Ida Pearce (1932-09-21)21 September 1932 Middlesex, England
Died	9 May 2024(2024-05-09) (aged 91) London, England
Nationality	British
Education	St Paul's Girls' School
Alma mater	Portsmouth College of Art
Occupations	Novelist Journalist Founder
Known for	Founder of Maths Action Founder of Maths Anxiety Trust
Spouses	Terence Conran ​ ​ (m. 1955; div. 1962)​ John Stephenson ​ (divorced)​ Kevin O'Sullivan ​ (divorced)​
Children	Sebastian Conran Jasper Conran
Parents	Thirlby Pearce (father) Ida Florence Pearce (mother)
Awards	Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Dame Shirley Ida Conran DBE (née Pearce; 21 September 1932 – 9 May 2024) was a British author, designer, journalist and social entrepreneur.

After her marriage to Terence Conran with whom she worked as a designer and sales director at Conran Fabrics, she became women's editor of The Observer and the Daily Mail, launching its Femail section. After a serious illness left her with ME, making it difficult for her to work, she wrote best-selling books including the feminist self-help Superwoman (1975) and the bonkbuster Lace (1982).^{[citation needed]}

In later life, she campaigned and founded charities to encourage maths education for women. For this, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire and was invested in hospital a week before her death.^[1]