Perfume queen’s smell of success

PERFUME boss Jo Malone urged other businesswomen to ‘never give up’ as she received a CBE.

The entrepreneur, 54, pictured, grew up on a council estate and left school aged 15 without qualifications.

She had huge success with her eponymous fragrance brand, which she sold to Estee Lauder. It is now worth around £60million with more than 50 stores.

Miss Malone revealed she ‘ cried’ when she heard she had received the award for services to the British economy and the GREAT Britain campaign to boost tourism.

But she admitted starting up her latest business Jo Loves was ‘tough’.

The mother-of-one, who has battled cancer, advised others struggling in business not to give up. ‘I wanted to quit, I have to say, nearly every day for a year,’ she said. ‘Never, ever quit on a bad day.’