Ronnie Wood‘s daughter Leah is thankful that he hasn’t given her his fortune.
Ronnie Wood’s daughter Leah doesn’t rely on him for financial help
The Rolling Stones rocker, 78, is worth an estimated £150 million but Leah – the daughter of Ronnie and his ex-wife Jo Wood – is glad that she hasn’t relied on her father’s riches to make a living.
The 47-year-old artist – who has children Maggie, 16, and Otis, 12, with her husband Jack MacDonald – told The Sunday Times newspaper: “I have got a very normal life. My husband and I have had to work our a**** off. Having kids and stuff, our mortgage to pay and, you know, trying to find X amount of money to fix the old stone wall.
“I look at other kids who have got famous families and they just get handouts and it doesn’t motivate them to be hungry for work, to be passionate for work. I have hustled my way through life.”
Leah added: “I think my dad me a favour there in not putting tens of millions of pounds into my bank account.
“Obviously my dad has given me money to like buy food some days and maybe do the occasional school bill.”
Leah – who previously worked as a model for the late fashion designer Vivienne Westwood – is keen to pass on her strong work ethic to her own children.
She explained: “The art world is incredibly competitive, just having a surname doesn’t get you gallery walls or exhibitions. You’re up against genuinely world-class talent. It’s not about going viral for attempting to make pasta on Instagram. It’s about spending years quietly honing your craft.”
Leah was first exposed to the spotlight when she was pictured in her father’s arms at just five weeks old and admits that her famous surname was something of a problem when she attended boarding school.
She recalled: “At boarding school, girls would run into the toilet and go, ‘Oh my God, are you Leah Wood?”, and I’d go, ‘No, sorry.’ I just wanted to be Leah.”
Although she is financially independent, Leah sometimes seeks her father’s advice when it comes to art.
She said: “I did this massive tiger’s head (painting) for Woburn Safari Park last year and he helped me a bit on that because the tiger’s forehead was too big. He’s great for advice.”
