A fashion consultant whose millionaire ex-husband’s ‘deplorable’ controlling behaviour was slammed by judges in their £6.9million divorce battle took her own life after being ‘impacted’ by the break-up, a coroner concluded today.
Tracey Ratcliffe was spied on by her property mogul husband Nicholas using CCTV cameras in a dispute branded ‘among the most acrimonious’ a court had ever seen.
In a ‘creepy’ bid to force her out of their £1.3million Cheshire marital home, he had also locked internal doors at to restrict her movements, and left Post-it notes on kitchen items saying ‘clean me’, a judge was told.
But in 2021 the Appeal Court backed Mr Ratcliffe’s bid to overturn his ex-wife’s £3.45million pay-out after accepting his wealth had been ‘overstated’.
Tragically, the mother-of-two was found hanged aged 53 just before Christmas at a house in Sale, Greater Manchester which she bought without a mortgage the previous May for £455,000.
Tracey Ratcliffe took her own life following a £6.9million divorce battle with her ex-husband, an inquest found by locking internal doors
Ms Ratcliffe was spied on with CCTV cameras by her ex-husband Nicholas, who tried to force her out of their home
But the Appeal Court accepted Mr Ratcliffe’s argument that his wealth had been ‘overstated’ and overturned his ex-wife’s £3.45million pay out
Following Ms Ratcliffe’s death, devastated friends described her as ‘an absolute diamond of a friend’ who was ‘always dressed to the nines’.
Today’s inquest – attended by her elder son, Thomas, 28 – heard previous mental health problems had resurfaced in the months preceding her deaths.
But she had rejected pleas from friends to book herself into a Priory hospital.
Despite not being a drug user, tests following her death found she had potentially deadly levels of cocaine in her body at the time of her death.
Returning a narrative conclusion, Alison Mutch, senior coroner for Manchester South, said Ms Ratcliffe had hanged herself ‘while under the influence of cocaine’.
Her death came after she had ‘gone through a particularly difficult divorce and that was impacting on her wellbeing’, she added.
There was insufficient evidence to establish that she had intended to take her own life, the coroner said.
The hearing was told that Ms Ratcliffe was admitted to a mental health unit in 2016 after a bout of depression following the death of her mother.
But she recovered after being given medication and counselling.
However last October she had a ‘relapse’, complaining to her GP about insomnia and feeling ‘low and anxious’.
She was referred to a community mental health team, telling them she had no suicidal thoughts, the hearing was told, and was referred for lifestyle advice from ‘social prescribers’.
The inquest heard Ms Ratcliffe told a care co-ordinator that ‘a lot of things have just got on top of me’ but was hoping to restart work and join a gym.
But after friends became worried they had not heard from her, a relative found her hanging on December 22 and called police.
Tests found a ‘very high’ level of cocaine in her system, with the cause of death given as hanging.
There was no trace of the medication she had been prescribed to boost her mental health.
The hearing was told that Ms Ratcliffe was admitted to a mental health unit in 2016 after a bout of depression following the death of her mother. The inquest concluded that she had hung herself ‘while under the influence of cocaine’
Pictured: The Ratcliffes’ £1.3million former marital home in Bowdon, Cheshire
Officers found notes written by Ms Ratcliffe, extracts of which were read to the hearing, referring to ‘grief’ and being ‘relieved’ of her ‘physical burden’.
But police coroners officer Andrew Levitt told the hearing: ‘There’s nothing there to suggest Tracey was intending to harm herself.’
Asked by her son if police had investigated the source of the cocaine, Mr Levitt said there had been ‘no lines of inquiry’.
Giving evidence, Mr Ratcliffe said he and his mother had become ‘distant’ following her divorce.
‘We tried to reconcile in 2022, without much luck, unfortunately,’ he added.
Summing up the evidence, the coroner said that in the run-up to her death, Ms Ratcliffe had been ‘slowly improving’ and planning her future.
She added that while cocaine is seen as a ‘party drug’, the levels in Ms Ratcliffe’s system would have had an ‘impact on her cognitive abilities’.
Ms Mutch finished the hearing by offering her condolences to her friends and family.
Her son left the hearing without commenting.
Ms Ratcliffe was studying for a business degree at Liverpool University when she met her future husband in 1992, marrying him two years later.
Ten years her senior, he was a chartered surveyor who went on to earn most of his money as a consultant finding potential sites for Sainsbury’s supermarkets.
She went onto work for Mr Ratcliffe’s property business before separating in 2016, continuing to live under the same roof at their luxury home in affluent Bowdon, near Altrincham.
However he embarked on a ‘creepy’ bid to force her out, Ms Ratcliffe’s barrister, Anne Hussey QC, later told the High Court.
‘Despite being aware of her “fragile mental health”, the husband showed a “deplorable level of control” and embarked on a campaign “designed to drive the wife from the family home’”,’ she said.
‘The husband’s behaviour – found to include installing and using CCTV to monitor the wife in the former matrimonial home and locking internal doors – was described in the first judgment as “creepy”.’
In 2018, Mr Ratcliffe was finally ordered to leave the family home by a judge and moved into rented accommodation.
Two years later Judge Bernard Wallwork ordered an equal split of a family fortune he assessed as worth about £6.9million.
Ruling on the case, he said: ‘This case ranks among the most acrimonious financial remedy cases I have ever dealt with.
‘The bitterness and rancour has been considerable and has permeated the proceedings.’
He slammed Mr Ratcliffe’s attitude towards his wife, particularly given he knew she had been suffering with mental health problems.
‘I think his behaviour has been designed to drive the wife from the family home – and I am stressing the words “her home”,’ he said.
‘It appears to me that knowing of the wife’s fragile mental health these actions were oppressive.’
As well as getting the £1.3million home and valuable shares, he ordered that Ms Ratcliffe be paid £1.2million in cash instalments.
She would be left with as much liquid cash as possible due to the ‘deviousness’ of Mr Ratcliffe during the divorce proceedings, said the judge.
But Mr Ratcliffe appealed, in a move the ex-wife’s lawyers described as another example of his ‘controlling’ behaviour.
The following year Appeal Court judges overturned the award after accepting his wealth had been ‘overstated’ through ‘double-counting’ and the original decision was ‘flawed’.
Ms Ratcliffe was described as having a ‘bubbly personality, infectious laughter and impeccable sense of style’
They ordered that the case be heard and decided again.
It is not known whether a final settlement had been agreed prior to Ms Ratcliffe’s death.
She was a well-known figure selling vintage clothes at Altrincham Market, and traders paid a moving tribute ahead of her funeral in January.
Praising her ‘bubbly personality, infectious laughter, and impeccable sense of style’, they added: ‘She brought happiness and humour into our lives, and she had an incredible collection of vintage clothing that gave our neighbourhood a one-of-a-kind look because of her contribution.
‘Tracey was more than just a friend.
‘Her upbeat energy and infectious laughter became indispensable components of the lively environment that characterises our community after she passed away.
‘As a result of her contributions, both in the realm of business and friendship, she left an indelible mark on everyone who came into contact with her.
‘As we come together to remember her, our thoughts are with her family, friends, and anyone else whose life she touched with her kind and generous spirit.
‘Tracey will be sorely missed, and the void that will be left behind by her absence will be keenly felt by each and every one of us here at Alty Market.’
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