Cooper was born on 15 November 1953, the daughter of Harry Whitaker and Grace (née Parnham, later James); she attended Lilley & Stone Girls' High School, Newark-on-Trent.
Cooper was born on 15 November 1953, the daughter of Harry Whitaker and Grace (née Parnham, later James). She was educated at Lilley and Stone Girls' High School, then an all-girls grammar school in Newark-on-Trent.