THE Calendar Girls have topped the £1 million fundraising mark - thanks to an English businessman living in Monaco.

The Rylstone WI members started their fundraising in 1999 when they launched their nude calendar to raise money for Leukaemia Research.

They had hoped to sell 1,000 calendars at £5 apiece, but the fundraiser just spiralled.

Now five years on, their charity fund has topped £1 million - and the royalties from the Calendar Girls film, DVD and video have still to roll in.

"It is brilliant," said Calendar Girl Angela Baker, whose husband, John, inspired the fundraiser. He died from non-Hodgkins Lymphoma aged 54.

The landmark barrier was reached when Mrs Baker attended a charity lunch in the South of France where other guests included TV chef Gary Rhodes and the King of Bahrain.

The speaker joked that if anyone had a spare £22,666 it would take the Calendar Girls past the £1 million mark.

And an English businessman responded, with a cheque for the whole amount.

"He wants to remain anonymous, but he told me that his father had died from leukaemia and he wanted to do something in his memory. He said he thought what we had done was fantastic," said Mrs Baker.

"It was a very moving moment. I cried. We all cried the whole room cried. It was a dream come true. I just want to thank everyone who has supported us.

"I know John would have been amazed and I just hope our efforts will help to find a cure or at least make the treatment less invasive and horrendous.

"It might be too late for John, but hopefully it won't be too late for others."

But Mrs Baker stressed that fundraising would continue.

"We will keep going. As long as people want to us to give talks, we will continue to raise money and hopefully go on to make our second million," she added.