IT’S business as usual!

That’s the message from Hampshire businesswoman Avril Owton who has been hit by rumours that she has either left the Cloud Hotel in Brockenhurst or is battling a fatal illness.

The rumours started after the former Tiller Girl put the three-star hotel on the market earlier this year.

Avril, 74, has yet to find a buyer but has been hit by speculation that she has already left the business or is terminally ill.

She said: “The most amazing rumours are going round - that’s what they’re like around here.

“The fact that the market seems to have made some people think the business has already been sold.

"Some of the locals aren’t coming in for lunch any more - they think I’ve already gone.

“I went into hospital recently for a blocked artery and that seems to have sparked rumours that I’ve got a terminal illness.

“I want to put the record straight. I’ve been here for 40 years and want some quality time with my family - there is no other reason.

“The hotel is on the market, but I could be here for another year or even two.”

Avril was one of the famous high-kicking dancers who performed at the London Palladium alongside the likes of Judy Garland, Cilla Black and Bruce Forsyth.

Her husband Tom took over the Cloud Hotel in the 1970s and she has run the business herself since he died of a heart attack in 1991.

She updated the building and saw her investment pay off. Profits soared by 800-per-cent and in 1995 she was named Hampshire Businesswoman of the Year.

She also founded the Wessex Women’s Network and in 2008 was awarded the MBE.

Earlier this year she hosted a celebration to mark her four decades at the Cloud Hotel.

Speaking at the time Cllr Alison Hoare, then chairman of New Forest District Council, said: “Avril is the most inspiring woman I have ever met.”

Referring to Tom Owton’s death she added: “When the worst possible thing happened she rolled up her sleeves and turned The Cloud into the wonderful, award-winning hotel it is today.”

The business, which has an asking price of £1.9 million, is being marketed by the Winchester office of Christie & Co.