Famous women in business

Katie Price

Since stripping for Sun shoots as a Page Three Girl, Katie Price, formerly known as Jordan, has cunningly kept the tabloids on her side. She stumbled into the headlines with her larger-than-life boob jobs and drunken antics. But it was her I'm a Celebrity jungle romance with Peter Andre that raised her from the depths of the Z-list.

Since then Katie has proven her skills as an astute businesswoman; a magazine columnist, children's writer, novelist, Eurovision contender and chat show host. She is worth an estimated £30 million.

Victoria Beckham

This Spice Girl isn't 'too posh to push' the Beckham brand, which is now worth an estimated £112 million. Since her lucrative girl band days, she has reinvented herself as a style icon after topping more 'best dressed' lists than pop charts.

Her trademark DVB skinny jeans and over-sized sunglasses have boosted her Hollywood street cred. Recently, she dressed to impress in Cavalli on the Spice Girls' reunion tour and made another £10 million.

Delia Smith

Our national treasure came from humble beginnings to be 'queen of the crumble'. Delia left school at 16 without a qualification to her name and worked as a hairdresser and travel agent.

Her interest in cookery books landed her a first food writing job at the Daily Mirror and Evening Standard. She subsequently saw a gap in the market for a people that wanted to learn how to cook. Delia has since sold 17 million cookery books in the UK.

Annabel Karmel

Annabel was inspired to write books on children's nutrition after the tragic death of her first child at three months old after a viral infection. The Complete Toddler and Baby Meal Planner, her first book, is one of the UK's top five-selling cookery books. Thirteen books later, she has earned herself an MBE and the well-deserved title 'Guru of baby care'.

Perween Warsi

In 1986, the ambitious 'Curry Queen' and mother of two felt disillusioned with the standard of Indian food available in UK supermarkets, labelling them 'curries that tasted of boiled plastic'. So she started to build an empire. Her successful company, S&A Foods, supplied ready meals to supermarkets and pubs.

Her company now turns over £100 million every year. She is one of the richest Asian women in the UK and one of Britain's Top 50 Most Powerful Women. Warsi has earned an MBE and CBE.

Michelle Mone

Michelle left her Glasgow school at 15 years old to start work without any qualifications. She modelled and then learnt to do business in a brewery's marketing department. After a redundancy, Michelle took the plunge and launched her own bra range. She wanted to invent a comfortable bra to show off the cleavage after wearing an uncomfortable bra all night at a party.

The infamous Ultimo push-up bra was born and she set up her company MJM International Limited in 1996, which is now worth around £45 million. Mone caused a scandal when she sacked Penny Lancaster as the face of Ultimo and replaced her with Rod's ex, Rachel Hunter! Mone wants Ultimo to be the UK's own Victoria's Secret.

Jacqueline Gold

Jacqueline Gold turned her father's sex shop business, serving men in 'flasher macs', into the more tasteful sex toy and underwear chain Ann Summers.

Gold started on £45 per week working for her father as a wages clerk, but it was after popping along to a fashion party in a flat that her saucy empire was born. There are now 150 shops in the UK and Ireland.

Apart from taking the taboo out of vibrators and bringing us the Rampant Rabbit, Gold is said to be the second most powerful woman in retail.

Oprah Winfrey

Officially the richest woman in entertainment, Oprah has pocketed $1.5 billion (Forbes magazine). Oprah was the first African-American anchorwoman on Nashville's TV channel at the tender age of 19.

From there, her TV career reached new heights. The Oprah Winfrey Show is the highest rating TV show in history and is broadcast in 134 countries. The chat show diva and media mogul's latest accolade is her own TV network. In 2007 she was listed as one of the Most Influential People in the World by Time Magazine.

Martha Stewart

America's answer to Delia, Nigella and Linda Barker, this domestic goddess has made a mint from her housekeeping, gardening and cooking ideas.

Martha modelled to fund her college education and worked on Wall Street before launching her glamorous catering business in 1972. Now Martha Stewart is a household name with her home ware range, TV series and books.

After a small hiccup in 2004 - Martha famously served a short sentence behind bars - she was reported to be worth $1 billion in the Forbes magazine rich list (2005).