Sheffield golden girl Jessica Ennis-Hill beats Joan of Arc, Michelle Obama, Theresa May and Kate Middleton in inspiring women poll

The Olympic gold-medal winning star, who recently announced her retirement from the world of sport, just squeezed into the top ten - and was ahead of the likes of Michelle Obama, Prime Minister Theresa May and Kate Middleton in the countdown.

The top 50 most inspirational women of all time poll was topped by Marie Curie, the physicist and chemist known for her pioneering work and research on radioactivity.

Nursing legend Florence Nightingale secured runners-up spot with World War Two teenage diarist Anne Frank third.

The poll of 2,000 for Your Life, also put The Queen, Harry Potter author JK Rowling and former PM Margaret Thatcher in the top ten.

Ennis-Hill, the poster girl of British athletics, won the nation's hearts with gold at London 2012 and followed it up with silver at this year's games in Rio before announcing she was stepping down from the sport.

Top 50 inspirational women

1. Marie Curie

2. Florence Nightingale

3. Anne Frank

4. Emmeline Pankhurst

5. Queen Elizabeth II

6. JK Rowling

7. Mother Theresa

8. Princess Diana

9. Margaret Thatcher

10. Jessica Ennis-Hill

11. Amelia Earhart

12. Joan of Arc

13. Judi Dench

14. Jane Austen

15. Michelle Obama

16. Queen Elizabeth I

17. Marie Stopes

18. Indira Gandhi

19. Rosa Parks

20. Theresa May

21. Kelly Holmes

22. Aung San Suu Kyi

23. Kate, Duchess of Cambridge

24. Oprah Winfrey

25. Ada Lovelace

26. Dawn French

27. Emma Watson

28. Serena Williams

29. Angelina Jolie

30. Hillary Clinton

31. Mary Berry

32. Billie Jean King

33. Aretha Franklin

34. Benazir Bhutto

35. Cleopatra

36. Karren Brady

37. Malala Yousafzai

38. Mary Quant

39. Maya Angelou

40. Marilyn Monroe

41. Katharine Hepburn

42. Billie Holiday

43. Debbie Harry

44. Venus Williams

45. Beyonce

46. Carole King

47. Madonna

48. Bette Davis

49. Twiggy

50. Nigella Lawson