Dame Stella Rimington, who was the first female director general of MI5, has died, her family has announced.
She died “surrounded by her beloved family and dogs and determinedly held on to the life she loved until her last breath”.
Dame Stella, who was also an author, died at the age of 90.
She is widely credited as the inspiration for Dame Judi Dench’s M in the James Bond films.
Ms Rimington was appointed director general of MI5, the first to be named publicly, in 1992, holding the position for four years.
Born Stella Whitehouse in 1935 in South Norwood, south London, she attended Edinburgh University, and married diplomat John Rimington in 1963.
The couple moved to India two years later when he was posted to New Delhi.
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