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Sheila Vogel-Coupe

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Sheila Vogel-Coupe
Born
Sheila R Davis

(1929-01-00)January 1929
Hampstead, Greater London, England
Died25 November 2022(2022-11-25) (aged 93)
Westminster, Greater London, England
Other names
  • Sheila Vogel
  • Grand Dame Cecilia Bird
  • Anthea
Occupation(s)Escort, media personality
Years active2010–2020
AgentMax Clifford
Known forSuperannuated sex worker
TelevisionMy Granny the Escort
Spouses
Jimmy Vogel
​
​
(m. 1950; died 1952)​
Noel Coupe
​
​
(m. 1999; died 2001)​
Children4
RelativesKatie Waissel (granddaughter)

Sheila R Vogel-Coupe (née Davis; January 1929 – 25 November 2022) was an English escort and media personality. She was known for being the oldest sex worker in the United Kingdom.

Early life

[edit]

Sheila R Davis was born in Hampstead, Greater London, England in January 1929,[1] as the elder child to Stuart Hyam Davis (1903–1979)[2][3] and his wife,[4] Elizabeth Beatrice (née Drage; 1907–1999).[5] She had a younger brother, Brian Davis (1932–2021).[6][7]

Vogel-Coupe was born into a Jewish family. She was the granddaughter of Polish Jewish immigrants. She regularly attended the synagogue and had visited Israel.[8]

Career

[edit]

Vogel-Coupe started escorting[9] in November 2010, at the age of 81,[10] after appearing in the hard-core pornographic film Freddie's Great British Granny Bang.[11] The film was screened on an adult channel in earlier that year. The film was repeated on the Red Hot 40+ channel on 4 December 2010.[12] Her agent was the PR guru Max Clifford.[13]

Vogel-Coupe made two appearances on the ITV daytime magazine programme This Morning in 2011. Her first appearance, she was interviewed by Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford. Her second appearance, she was interviewed by Phillip Schofield[14] and Holly Willoughby.[15][16]

In 2014, Vogel-Coupe was entertaining up to ten clients per week at £250 an hour.[17][18][19] She went by the name Grand Dame Cecilia Bird on the website for the escort agency Mature Courtesans.[20][21] Some reports from 2014 stated that, at the age of 85, she was the oldest sex worker in the world.[22][23][24]

Channel 4 released a documentary entitled My Granny the Escort, about Vogel-Coupe and two other elderly sex workers.[25] The documentary was broadcast on 29 May 2014.[26]

In 2016, it was reported that Vogel-Coupe was still active in her field at the age of 87. She worked under the pseudonym Anthea for an online website offering 'mature escorts'.[27][28]

Vogel-Coupe retired in 2020, at the age of 91, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[29][30]

Personal life

[edit]

Vogel-Coupe married her first husband, Abraham 'Alfred' Joseph "Jimmy" Vogel (born 8 September 1909),[31] who was also Jewish,[8] in Paddington, London in April 1950.[32] She gained two stepchildren, Evalyn and Ann.[33] They had three daughters together; Susan K Tausig[34] (née Vogel; born 1951),[35] Carolyn E Vogel (born 1953)[36] and Diana J Waissel[37] (née Vogel; born 1959).[38] She had three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She was widowed in 8 June 1952, after two years of marriage.[39]

Vogel-Coupe married her second husband, Noel Parker Coupe (born 16 March 1926),[40] an aeronautical engineer, in Westminster, Greater London in November 1999.[41] She gained two stepchildren, Catherine and Charles.[42] She was widowed on 24 January 2001, after fourteen months of marriage.[43]

In 2010, it was reported by The Mirror in a statement from Vogel-Coupe's granddaughter, Natalie Davis, stating: "We were completely shocked and devastated to hear of the news that my grandmother, Sheila Vogel, has been conducting immoral activities, including prostitution and pornography. We, as a family, disassociate ourselves wholly from these activities and from any further stories that arise from them. It is a personal family matter and we would ask that during this difficult time we are allowed space to deal with it as a family. There will be no further comment."[44][45] Her granddaughter, Katie Waissel, a singer-songwriter, appeared as a contestant the seventh series of the reality television music competition, The X Factor.[46][47] In 2010, it was reported that Katie had cut off relations with her grandmother, accusing her grandmother of sabotaging her chance at stardom.[48] In 2016, during her appearance on the eighteenth series of the Channel 5 reality television series, Celebrity Big Brother, Katie, in an argument with her fellow housemate, Heavy D, a television personality, said: "I know for me I'm better than you... you're an embarrassment. My grandma is more famous than you and she sucks dick!"[49][50][51] After her grandmother's death, Katie, said: "I never had an issue with what she did. I had an issue with the fact I messaged her and said grandma, 'we will work through this as a family'. The next day she said I ruined her life as a prostitute and a porn star on national TV at the height of my vulnerability after we had spoken about it by text message.[52]

Vogel-Coupe had an operation to have 13 inches of her intestine removed.[53]

Death

[edit]

Vogel-Coupe died in Westminster, Greater London[54] on 25 November 2022. She was 93. Her death was announced by her daughter, Josie, in a statement to The Sun, stating: "We were so proud of her. Her passing deserves a mention because she was so unique." She had been diagnosed with dementia in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[55]

After Vogel-Coupe's death, her granddaughter, Katie, said: "I have been made aware of the news about my 93-year-old grandmother passing away. It is understandably a sad and sensitive time. It's a very sensitive subject to be made public unbeknownst to any of us. It is very disrespectful for someone in the family to disclose that information without anybody knowing." She added: "I am not going to sit here and say I am heartbroken, I am heartbroken by I am more heartbroken that 12 years on that said people, be it a family specific member, are making it public."[52]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007: JAN 1929 1a 775 HAMPSTEAD — Sheila R Davis
  2. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915: OCT 1903 1a 603 HAMPSTEAD — Stuart Hyam Davis
  3. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007: JUL 1979 (aged 75) 18 1875 WORTHING — Stuart Hyam Davis
  4. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005: APR 1927 1a 212 PADDINGTON — Stuart H Davis = Elizabeth B Drage
  5. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007: OCT 1999 (aged 92) 48B 7863 128 WORTHING — Elizabeth Beatrice Davis
  6. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007: JUL 1932 3a 742 HENDON — Brian Davis
  7. ^ England and Wales, Death Index, 1989-2023: 31 JUL 2021 (aged 89) HARROGATE — Brian Davis
  8. ^ a b Ghert-Zand, Renee (12 June 2014). "This Jewish grandmother knows a trick or two". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  9. ^ "Q&A: UK Prostitution Laws". BBC News. 19 November 2008. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  10. ^ Dray, Kayleigh (2 June 2014). "Sheila Vogel-Coupe, 85, opens up about her career as a £250-per-hour 'prostitute' on This Morning". Closer. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  11. ^ "Grand Dame Cecilia Bird". Vintage Vamps. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  12. ^ "X Factor Katie's gran defends work". Belfast Telegraph. 25 November 2010. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  13. ^ Goldberg, Alex (27 November 2010). "Katie Waissel's gran halts porn career". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  14. ^ Nissim, Mayer (13 June 2014). "Phillip Schofield: 'Granny prostitute propositioned me'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  15. ^ "Sheila Vogel-Coupe". IMDb. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  16. ^ "Sheila Vogel-Coupe". TV Guide. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  17. ^ Duncan, Amy (19 May 2014). "Meet Sheila Vogel-Coupe: Britain's oldest granny prostitute who's still busy with clients at 85". Metro. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  18. ^ Rodger, James (29 November 2022). "ITV The X Factor star Katie Waissel's gran Sheila Vogel-Coupe dies after becoming UK's oldest escort". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  19. ^ Bayot, Asher (19 May 2014). "Sheila Vogel-Coupe: World's Oldest Prostitute Is 85 Years Old". Inquisitr News. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  20. ^ Engel, Meredith (27 May 2014). "Sheila Vogel-Coupe, 85, is Britain's oldest escort". New York Daily News. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  21. ^ Love, Ryan (24 November 2010). "Waissel family 'shocked by granny'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  22. ^ Dicker, Ron (27 May 2014). "For Her Latest Trick, 85-Year-Old Hooker Sheila Vogel-Coupe Tells All". HuffPost. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  23. ^ 自由時報電子報 (19 May 2014). "英85歲最老妓女 時薪達1.2萬元台幣 - 國際 - 自由時報電子報". 自由時報電子報 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  24. ^ Barker, Emma (26 May 2014). "85-Year-Old Grandma Escort: "I Do It Because I Love Sex"". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  25. ^ "My Granny the Escort". Channel 4. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  26. ^ Stern, Marlow (3 June 2014). "'My Granny The Escort': Meet 85-Year-Old Sheila Vogel-Coupe, Britain's Oldest Prostitute". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  27. ^ Lewis, Rebecca (29 July 2016). "Remember Katie Waissel's Nan? She's still a sex worker aged 87". Metro. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  28. ^ Douglas, Nicole (29 July 2016). "Katie Waissel's nan is still working as an escort aged 87". OK! Magazine. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  29. ^ Campbell, Tina (29 November 2022). "X Factor star Katie Waissel's grandmother – Britain's oldest sex worker – dies at 93". The Standard. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  30. ^ Campbell, Tina (29 November 2022). "X Factor star Katie Waissel's grandmother – Britain's oldest sex worker – dies aged 93". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  31. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915: OCT 1909 1c 242 WHITECHAPEL — Abraham Vogel
  32. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005: APR 1950 5d 456 PADDINGTON — Sheila R Davis = Alfred J Vogel
  33. ^ "All Birth, Marriage & Death, including Parish results for Vogel". Ancestry UK. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  34. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005: OCT 1974 14 0906 PADDINGTON — Susan K Vogel = Tausig
  35. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007: JAN 1951 5d 461 MARYLEBONE — Susan K Vogel
  36. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007: JUL 1953 5d 405 MARYLEBONE — Carolyn E Vogel
  37. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005: APR 1981 15 1455 WESTMINSTER — Diana J Vogel = Maurice A Waissel
  38. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007: JUL 1959 5d 408 MARYLEBONE — Diana J Vogel
  39. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007: APR 1952 (aged 42) 5d 707 WANDSWORTH — Alfred J Vogel
  40. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007: JAN 1926 8e 261 BURNLEY — Noel P Coupe
  41. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005: NOV 1999 258 64 098 WESTMINSTER — Sheila R Vogel = Noel P Coupe
  42. ^ "All Birth, Marriage & Death, including Parish results for Coupe". Ancestry UK. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  43. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007: JAN 2001 (aged 74) B40C 2581B 90 WESTMINSTER — Noel Parker Coupe
  44. ^ Love, Ryan (22 November 2010). "Waissel 'shocked by grandmother story'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  45. ^ Love, Ryan (25 November 2010). "Waissel granny 'slams family reaction'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  46. ^ Love, Ryan (25 November 2010). "Waissel granny: 'Cowell welcome any time'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  47. ^ Tobin, Christian (30 November 2010). "Waissel granny 'hopes for Wagner's custom'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  48. ^ "Katie 'ruined grandmother's career'". Belfast Telegraph. 7 January 2011. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  49. ^ Anderton, Joe (17 August 2016). "Celebrity Big Brother's Katie Waissel FINALLY shows some balls: 'My grandma is more famous than Heavy D'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  50. ^ Harp, Justin (17 August 2016). "Celebrity Big Brother's Katie Waissel admits she's still absolutely shocked by her nan's escort past". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  51. ^ Gordon, Naomi (18 August 2016). "Celebrity Big Brother's Katie Waissel shocks fellow housemates into silence with nan's graphic porn past". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  52. ^ a b Sidnell, Katherine (29 November 2022). "X-Factor's Katie Waissel left heartbroken as gran who was famously revealed as a prostitute dies at 93". OK! Magazine. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  53. ^ Campbell, Tina (30 May 2014). "My Granny The Escort: OAP hooker Sheila Vogel-Coupe, 85, has the X Factor according to Twitter". Metro. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  54. ^ UK, Electoral Registers, 2011-2018: 2011-2018 15 St. Johns Wood Road, NW8 8RB City of London, London, England — MS Sheila R Vogel-Coupe
  55. ^ Griffin, Louisa (29 November 2022). "X Factor star Katie Waissel's gran – who was Britain's oldest sex worker – dies aged 93". Metro. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
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