Designer hanged years after £7m divorce battle with ‘controlling’ husband who installed spy cameras at home

A DESIGNER was found hanged years after a £7million divorce battle with her ‘controlling’ husband, an inquest heard today.

Tracey Ratcliffe, 53, was tragically found dead about Christmaswith friends paying tribute to an “absolute diamond”.

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An inquest into the death of the mother of two was opened today.

Tracey’s ex-husband Nicholas Ratcliffe, now 64, once used CCTV cameras to spy on her at their £1.3million home, a family court heard.

Her lawyer Anne Hussey QC claimed Mr Ratcliffe had a “deplorable level of control” over Tracey.

The couple separated in 2016, but continued to live under the same roof in Greater Manchester.

In the years that followed, they appeared in court several times.

MailOnline Today, Assistant Coroner Andrew Bridgman reported that Tracey died by hanging on December 22 last year.

He added that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.

A full investigation will take place in June, with Mr Bridgman adding that all her interactions with a GP or mental health provider must be made public.

The mother was a well-known figure who sold vintage clothes at Altrincham Market.

It was previously revealed that Ms Hussey QC said in 2016 that Mr Ratcliffe – a property magnate – had started a “creepy” campaign which the judge said was “designed to drive the woman out of the family home”.

In addition to the CCTV footage, the court heard Ratcliffe locked the internal doors to restrict movement and left post-it notes on kitchen utensils saying “clean me”.

In 2018, the judge ordered him to leave the parental home and move to a rental home.

Two years later, Judge Bernard Wallwork ordered an equal division of a family fortune he believed to be around £6.9 million.

He said at the time: ‘This case is among the most bitter financial damages cases I have ever dealt with.

‘The bitterness and resentment were significant and permeated the proceedings.

“Closed circuit television was installed in the house to track the woman’s movements.

“Locks were placed on the internal doors and the man did not object when I expressed concern that Post-it notes were occasionally left in the kitchen with messages such as ‘clean me’, ‘unsanitary’ and so forth.

‘It seems to me that knowing the woman is vulnerable mental health These actions were oppressive.”

She brought happiness and humor into our lives.

As well as obtaining the £1.3 million house and valuable shares, he ordered Tracey to be paid £1.2 million in cash instalments.

She would be left with as much liquid cash as possible due to Mr Ratcliffe’s ‘cunning’ during the parting procedure, the judge said.

But Mr Ratcliffe appealed and in 2021 the ruling was overturned after a court accepted his wealth was ‘exaggerated’.

The case was ordered to be retried, but it is unknown whether a final settlement was reached before Tracey’s death.

Tributes before her funeral last Friday, traders remembered Tracey’s “infectious laugh” and “impeccable sense of style”.

They added: “She brought happiness and humor into our lives, and she had an incredible collection of vintage clothing that, thanks to her contributions, gave our neighborhood a unique look.”

The Sun has approached the coroner for comment.