Senior spy reveals surprising way she managed to gain information on missions
A SENIOR MI6 spy has told how being clearly pregnant helped on her toughest missions.
The real-life Jane Bond, referred to as Ada, said her baby bump encouraged agents to open up to her.
Ada — M16’s gadget lab chief “Q” to colleagues — spoke out for the first time to encourage more women to join the Secret Intelligence Service.
She said: “Being visibly pregnant can stimulate unusual conversations.
“Some of the hardest negotiators have softened, talking about their hopes for their children or the next generation.”
Ada, in her 40s, was also the first woman in the SIS to ask for special iso-fixings in her armoured car for her baby’s child seat.
She said: “It turns out it’s very difficult to do.”
The mum, whose role in recent 007 films was played by Ben Whishaw, added that she tells male agents she thinks of them “like fathers or brothers” to stop them hitting on her.
She said: “It changes things. You can literally see it change in an agent’s eye.
“I will do it very openly . . . you literally bring that terminology in.”
She is one of four director generals in MI6. Three are women.
All answer to Richard Moore, the Chief, or “C”.