However she was quick to stop any rumours in their tracks, adding that all three of the men were “impeccably behaved” – unlike the naughty show-jumper of her novels.

Cooper, meanwhile, has revealed that she fully intends to keep writing about Campbell-Black – and that her next book will take him, unusually, into the world of football.

Speaking to The Guardian, she admitted she has to “use a lot of imagination” these days when it comes to the sex scenes.

“It was such a long time ago. [But then] I always had to use a lot of imagination. Everybody used to say they could see steam coming out of the gazebo where I worked.

“I don’t find [writing about] sex that difficult. It’s just the way it always was. I just think, why stop at the bedroom door? The way people make love and the way people relate to each other in bed are interesting too.”

Riders was turned into a feature length film for ITV in 1993 and in 2009,

Jilly Cooper’s erotica book series is being adapted into a saucy TV show