WHILE Princess Diana revels in her role as "queen of hearts" ... another queen of hearts lives and works in the Fylde, in the form of millionairess Pat Mancini.

Okay, so she's rich, well-dressed and a highly successful business woman.

She drives a flash car, wears expensive perfume and owns the 120-roomed £5 million Queen's Hotel in Blackpool.

No, she hasn't become an instant millionairess by winning the National Lottery (although she admits she has a flutter every week), she has gained her fortune working through blood, sweat and tears.

Now at 57 and dedicated to her charitable work, which she sees as her way of helping to give back some of what she's gained, Pat's life story is definitely not a classic tale of rags to riches.

At the tender age of 17, Pat married and had a son and daughter.

But at 24 she found herself involved in a torrid love affair with a man 20 years her senior.

Pat said: "I was very unhappy in my marriage until I met Rudie. He made me feel so happy and special.

"Our secret love affair went on for two years until the day we went off to Blackpool with £80 in our pockets when Rudie turned to me and said: 'If we can find jobs today, we'll stay'. Which we did."

And so the foundations to their multi-million pound fortune were laid.

Incredibly, Pat started her new-found life in Blackpool as a barmaid in the same hotel which she and Rudie now own.

Pat said: "We both worked and worked until we almost dropped to get where we are.

"In 1967, I started off as a barmaid in the Queen's earning £8.50 a week, while Rudie went off playing the organ.

"Together we managed to save £350 and, along with a little help from a friend called Madge who now lives in Benidorm, we bought our very first B&B business for £1,100."

From there, Pat and Rudie went from strength to strength buying and selling businesses which included owning and running a busy chip shop as well as a B&B at the same time.

Pat said: "I used to cry at night because I was so tired.

"And the day we sold the chippy must have been one of the best days of my life as I thought: Thank God I'll NEVER have to make chips again!"

In 1970, they bought a 14-bedroom hotel for £8,500 and after enjoying a romantic fortnight's holiday in Majorca they called it Fiesta.

The Fiesta was sold for £18,500 and the money went towards purchasing another hotel on the South Promenade which they named The Mancini.

Several more hotels were then bought and sold until they hit that magical day of November 11, 1985, when they finally purchased the magnificent Queen's Hotel for £750,000 - now estimated to be worth £5million!

Okay, so she's a little richer, but she has remained a very down-to-earth hardworking woman.

Rudie is now in his 70s and has given up playing the organ.

He now enjoys passing time collecting vintage cars.

And as for asking Pat what she does with her spare time ... she goes out on the piers among us ordinary folk with her plastic buckets collecting for charity, of course.

What did you expect?

She's only a millionairess ... but she's got a heart of gold.

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