Who is Sir Benjamin Slade? 70-year-old Baronet who wanted to ‘road test’ young women so he can find someone to ‘breed’ off
SIR Benjamin Slade left This Morning viewers fuming in April last year when he appeared on the show looking to find a young woman to take care of his castle and “breed.”
But, what do we know about the 70-year-old Baronet? Let's find out...
Who is Sir Benjamin Slade?
Benjamin Slade, 7th Baronet, was born Benjamin Julian Alfred Slade on 22 May 1946.
He was the son of Sir Michael Nial Slade and Angela Clare Rosalind Chichester and inherited his baronetcy from his father in 1962.
Although he's currently single, Benjamin has been married before. He wed Pauline Myburgh in the 1970s, but they divorced in 1991, and Ben claimed her 17 cats were an impediment to the marriage.
He had a relationship with Fiona Aitken - who's currently married to Earl of Carnarvon - in the 1990s.
He also dated actress Kirsten Hughes until she "ran off with the handyman".
In 2017 Slade dumped his partner Bridget Convey because at age 50 she was too old to supply him with an heir - and then he went on This Morning to advertise for a wife.
What did Sir Ben say on This Morning?
When Ben sat down for a chat with Eammon Holmes and Ruth Langsford on This Morning in April 2017, he said he wants to "road test" young women, and set his very specific requirements for potential girlfriends.
He explained: “It would be nice if they were a breeder, of an age where they can have a couple of sons.
“Sons count, we need an heir and a spare, girls are OK, but we need two boys first and then we can have the girls.
“They must have a shotgun licence, a driving licence, it would help if they had a helicopter licence, be able to run two castles, must be able to breed two sons, don’t mind if they’ve bred before and is proven.
“A little private income would be helpful, a large fortune would be a lot more helpful. Candidates would get pocket money.
“Guardian readers, drug users, alcoholics needn’t apply. Nobody under 5’6” too.”
“It’s hard work, these older ones want to travel, go around the world and put their feet up.
“I want to go off and have fun.”
He then added that he’d had enough with dealing with “lunatic women” who belong in “madhouses".
What was the reaction to Sir Ben's appearance on This Morning?
After Ben's appearance on the show, Twitter comments came flooding in, and surprisingly viewers hadn’t warmed to him.
One wondered why he had been allowed on the show, posting: “#thismorning why put such a horrible man on your show? That was not entertainment at all. Using such vile words. #MentalHealthMatters”
Another called him “disgraceful”, writing: “@thismorning does this old man still live in the olden days when woman had no rights & were treated like slaves! #disgraceful #thismorning”
Someone else thought he was about to get much worse: “He calls women 'breeders' and was blatantly about to say something racist. Embarrassing. #thismorning”
One viewer had a theory about the gun licence factor: “He also said she must have a gun license!?!! Yeah..so she can legally bump him off #sirOldBoyBenji #thismorning”
And another chipped: “’Generous lover’... I've not laughed so hard in ages 😂 #thismorning”
Not everyone hated him though, with one tweeting: “Sir Benjamin on #thismorning is my new hero, what a legend. Ignore all the feminists on here”