In 1958, Mike met fashion Supermodel Jean Howarth, aged 21, the daughter of a wealthy textile owner, Colonel Worsley Howarth. This started a relationship that was to result in their engagement and planned marriage in 1959. The announcement was originally going to be made at Christmas in 1958 but had been put off until Mike's birthday in April 1959. Sadly, it was never to happen.

Jean had gone with him to Casablanca and helped Mike celebrate his World Championship win. He gave her a golden boxer dog called Ferrari (the second such she had had) that Christmas as a present. But a few weeks later, Mike was dead.

When told of Mike's death by phone at her parents house near Huddersfield, she naturally cried. Heartbroken, she got out of the house taking Ferrari with her and walked in the rain.

Jean eventually became a companion, and in 1992 a wife, to racing driver Innes Ireland who died a year later. She still attends functions related to Mike and was present at the unveiling of his memorial Statue at Goodwood Race Track in 2005 and the unveiling of a plaque dedicated to him in Mexborough in late 2006.

Jean Ireland (Jean Howarth) at Goodwood in 2005

An image of Mike and his fiancee, model Jean Howarth, early in their relationship

We have Jean's full story of her relationship with Mike in her own words later this year in an exclusive in the new book about Mike and hope you can wait to read this!

Jean Ireland and Nigel Webb at the unveiling of the Mexborough Plaque in December 2006

For more on this event at Mexborough, see our Plaque page.