Tania Harcourt-Cooze
Encyclopedia
Tania Rosamund Harcourt-Cooze (née
Coleridge, born 22 January 1966) is an English
model
and actress.
, 5th Baron Coleridge
of Ottery St Mary
, a Major
in the Coldstream Guards
, and his first wife Everild Tania Hambrough, she is directly related to the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge
. The oldest of five children, by her father's first marriage she has a brother, James Duke Coleridge (born 1967) and a sister, Sophia Tamsin Coleridge (born 1970).
Born in Kenya
, she followed her father's British Army
career until her parents divorced in 1977 when she was 11.
By his second marriage, she has two stepsisters, Vanessa Leyla Coleridge (born 1978) and Katharine Suzannah Coleridge (born 1981).
, she joined the punk rock
revolution, and would hang out on the Kings Road
, Chelsea
.
She was spotted by Sarah Doukas, who dispatched her in 1986 to model for Armani and Versace
in Italy
, and she became a muse for Helmut Newton
.
She starred opposite the singer George Michael
in the video for Father Figure, inspired by Newton.
After moving to Los Angeles
, California
, for modelling work, she ended up managing a fashionable restaurant.
in her late teens, she married the Venezuela
n-based businessman in 1996. Using the funds from the sale of his London flat and his family's money, the couple purchased a 1000 acres (404.7 ha) cocoa hacienda
in Choroni, and planted more than 50,000 Criollo cocoa trees.
In October 2006 the increasing costs of maintaining the property caused the family trust
to put the property up for sale and auction the contents.
She came to public prominence again in 2008 with the airing of the fly-on-the-wall documentary
, Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory
, centered on her husband's efforts to be one of the first Britons since the Cadbury family
to grow, import and produce their own chocolate
.
In May 2010 she and her husband separated and as of February 2011 are in the process of getting a divorce.
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Coleridge, born 22 January 1966) is an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
and actress.
Biography
The daughter of Major William Duke ColeridgeWilliam Duke Coleridge, 5th Baron Coleridge
William Duke Coleridge, 5th Baron Coleridge is an hereditary peer who lives in Ottery St Mary in Devon, England.The son of Richard Duke Coleridge, the 4th Baron Coleridge, Coleridge was educated at Eton College in Berkshire, England, and at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Berkshire. He...
, 5th Baron Coleridge
Baron Coleridge
Baron Coleridge, of Ottery St Mary in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1874 for the prominent lawyer, judge and Liberal politician Sir John Coleridge. He served as Lord Chief Justice of England from 1880 to 1894...
of Ottery St Mary
Ottery St Mary
Ottery St Mary, known as "Ottery" , is a town in the East Devon district of Devon, England, on the River Otter, about ten miles east of Exeter on the B3174. It is part of a large civil parish of the same name, which also covers the villages of West Hill, Metcombe, Fairmile, Alfington, Tipton St...
, a Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in the Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
, and his first wife Everild Tania Hambrough, she is directly related to the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
. The oldest of five children, by her father's first marriage she has a brother, James Duke Coleridge (born 1967) and a sister, Sophia Tamsin Coleridge (born 1970).
Born in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, she followed her father's British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
career until her parents divorced in 1977 when she was 11.
By his second marriage, she has two stepsisters, Vanessa Leyla Coleridge (born 1978) and Katharine Suzannah Coleridge (born 1981).
Modelling
Completing a fine arts diploma in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, she joined the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
revolution, and would hang out on the Kings Road
Kings Road
King's Road or Kings Road, known popularly as The King's Road or The KR, is a major, well-known street stretching through Chelsea and Fulham, both in west London, England...
, Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
.
She was spotted by Sarah Doukas, who dispatched her in 1986 to model for Armani and Versace
Versace
Gianni Versace S.p.A. , usually referred to as Versace, is an Italian fashion label founded by Gianni Versace in 1978.The first Versace boutique was opened in Milan's Via della Spiga in 1978, and its popularity was immediate. Today, Versace is one of the world's leading international fashion houses...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and she became a muse for Helmut Newton
Helmut Newton
Helmut Newton, born Helmut Neustädter was a German-Australian photographer. He was a "prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically charged black-and-white photos were a mainstay of Vogue and other publications."-Early life:Newton was born in Berlin, the son of Klara...
.
She starred opposite the singer George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
in the video for Father Figure, inspired by Newton.
After moving to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, for modelling work, she ended up managing a fashionable restaurant.
Venezuela
Having met Willie Harcourt-CoozeWillie Harcourt-Cooze
William "Willie" George Harcourt-Cooze , is a British-based entrepreneur. He came to public prominence in 2008 with the airing of the Channel4 fly-on-the-wall documentary, Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory, which centred around his efforts to grow, import and produce his own...
in her late teens, she married the Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n-based businessman in 1996. Using the funds from the sale of his London flat and his family's money, the couple purchased a 1000 acres (404.7 ha) cocoa hacienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
in Choroni, and planted more than 50,000 Criollo cocoa trees.
Return to England
Returning to England in 2001, she took over the management of the The Chanter's House, the family's ancestral home in March 2002. The couple set up events management company Kubla Khan, through which to organise weddings, fashion shoots, residential art courses, exhibitions, house tours and cultural gatherings based around the house.In October 2006 the increasing costs of maintaining the property caused the family trust
Trust law
In common law legal systems, a trust is a relationship whereby property is held by one party for the benefit of another...
to put the property up for sale and auction the contents.
She came to public prominence again in 2008 with the airing of the fly-on-the-wall documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory
Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory
Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory is a television documentary series broadcast on Channel 4 in March 2008. Filmed in "fly-on-the-wall" style, it shows the efforts of Willie Harcourt-Cooze to establish a brand of 100% cacao chocolate in the UK....
, centered on her husband's efforts to be one of the first Britons since the Cadbury family
Cadbury family
The Cadbury family is a prominent British family of industrialists descending from Richard Tapper Cadbury.* Richard Tapper Cadbury , who financed John** John Cadbury , family patriarch and founder of the chocolate company...
to grow, import and produce their own chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
.
Personal life
She lives in Tiverton, Devon and has three children - Sophia, William and EveIn May 2010 she and her husband separated and as of February 2011 are in the process of getting a divorce.