Mention Benidorm to many British holidaymakers and the name Sticky Vicky tends to come up within minutes. This article separates what the sources can verify about the performer from the forum chatter and hearsay around her, beginning with the death that BBC News (UK national broadcaster) dated to 29 November 2023.
Born: 15 April 1943 (Spain Made Simple (Costa Blanca travel guide)) · Died: 29 November 2023 (BBC News (UK national broadcaster)) · Age at death: 80 (Sunderland Echo (regional UK newspaper)) · Performing city: Benidorm, Spain (The Local Spain (English-language Spanish news))
Quick snapshot
- Death dated 29 November 2023 (BBC News (UK national broadcaster)) (Euro Weekly News (Spain-focused English-language paper))
- Retirement announced in February 2016, aged 72, after a cancer diagnosis (The Local Spain (English-language Spanish news)) (Euro Weekly News (Spain-focused English-language paper))
- Daughter’s final show under the name in November 2024 (Euro Weekly News (Spain-focused English-language paper))
- Age at death: 80 in the Sunderland Echo report, while Spain Made Simple (Costa Blanca travel guide) gives 78 (benidorm.co.uk (Benidorm show listings))
- Any 2026 venue, showtime or ticket price for the act itself (benidorm.co.uk (Benidorm show listings))
- Three dated milestones frame the record: 2016 retirement, 2023 death and 2024 final show (The Local Spain, BBC News, Euro Weekly News) (What’s The Jam (UK entertainment site))
- The daughter’s exit is dated 19 March 2025, according to What’s The Jam (UK entertainment site)
- A separate Benidorm sitcom reunion tour was announced on 3 November 2026 (Chortle (UK comedy news))
- The Daily Star campaigned for a blue plaque or statue honouring the performer (Daily Star (national UK tabloid))
Eight rows hold the core record, and the age at death is the one line where the sources split.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Victoria María Aragüés Gadea (Spain Made Simple (Costa Blanca travel guide)) |
| Stage names | Sticky Vicky; Vicky Leyton (Spain Made Simple (Costa Blanca travel guide)) |
| Born | 15 April 1943 (Spain Made Simple (Costa Blanca travel guide)) |
| Died | 29 November 2023 (BBC News (UK national broadcaster)) |
| Place of death | Villajoyosa hospital near Benidorm (Spain Made Simple (Costa Blanca travel guide)) |
| Age at death | 80 (Sunderland Echo (regional UK newspaper)); 78 in another account |
| Retirement | February 2016, aged 72, after a cancer diagnosis (The Local Spain (English-language Spanish news)) |
| Final show under the daughter | November 2023 (Euro Weekly News (Spain-focused English-language paper)) |
What was Sticky Vicky’s real name?
Spain Made Simple (Costa Blanca travel guide) gives her name as Victoria María Aragüés Gadea and lists two stage names, Sticky Vicky and Vicky Leyton. Spellings of the surname vary across the pages reviewed, so readers will meet more than one version.
The death is the best-dated detail in the file. BBC News (UK national broadcaster) dated it to 29 November 2023 and described her legendary status among Brits holidaying in Benidorm. According to Spain Made Simple (Costa Blanca travel guide), she died at a hospital in Villajoyosa, near Benidorm, and her daughter announced the death on Facebook.
How old was Sticky Vicky when she died?
- Sunderland Echo (regional UK newspaper) reports her age at death as 80, the figure also carried by the Daily Mirror and The Sun.
- Spain Made Simple (Costa Blanca travel guide) gives 78 in the same article that reports the death.
The verified record uses 80, and the 78 figure has not been reconciled with it.
Age is the one number in this file that does not line up across sources. Treat 80 as the figure most outlets report and 78 as an open discrepancy, not as a typo to ignore.
The implication: the date of death is solid enough to build on, but any age quoted in a headline still needs the same footnote.
What did Sticky Vicky do in her act?
The most detailed account of the routine in the reviewed sources comes from The Local Spain (English-language Spanish news), which covered her retirement.
- Ping-pong balls, sausages, eggs and razor blades pulled from her body during the show (The Local Spain)
- Six shows a night on a single stage (The Local Spain)
Six shows a night on one stage is a format built on repetition. The sources reviewed describe that routine mainly through one 2016 report, so the act’s reputation rests on a thin written record.
The catch: a nightly format leaves little independent documentation, and the story of the act depends on a handful of reports.
Where is Sticky Vicky performing tonight?
No source reviewed confirms a current Sticky Vicky performance, a venue or a showtime for 2026. The 2026 listings found in the research cover Benidorm shows in general and do not tie a performance by the act to any date.
- According to benidorm.co.uk (Benidorm show listings), the TRIVIUM dinner show runs on 3 November 2026 within a nightly line-up of 178 shows in 52 bars.
- According to What’s The Jam (UK entertainment site), the late-night slot after the daughter’s exit went to Carmen Snake’s similar show, running at 12:45am at the Palladium.
- Adult and tribute shows cluster in bars such as the Red Lion, Morgan’s Tavern and Ku Lounge, with adult acts starting after 11:30pm, according to benidorm.co.uk (Benidorm show listings).
What this means: a search for tonight’s show ends at a listings page, not at a confirmed booking, and no sourced link ties the Red Lion to this act.
How much does it cost to see Sticky Vicky?
No ticket price for a Sticky Vicky performance appears in the sources, so no price can be attached to the act itself.
Four price points surface in the research, and the one ticketed option is a Benidorm Palace show rather than the act under review.
| Option | Price reported |
|---|---|
| Benidorm Palace show only | €40, checked 14 October 2026 (benidorm.co.uk (Benidorm show listings)) |
| Benidorm Palace with dinner | €60–€110 (benidorm.co.uk (Benidorm show listings)) |
| Palace show via third-party sellers | £34 through GetYourGuide and Viator (benidorm.co.uk (Benidorm show listings)) |
| Pint in Benidorm show bars | €3.80 to €5 (benidorm.co.uk (Benidorm show listings), low-confidence figure) |
The trade-off: bar shows are generally free entry with a drink purchase, according to benidorm.co.uk (Benidorm show listings), while the only sourced ticket price buys a seat at a show that is not this act.
Did Sticky Vicky’s daughter take over?
Her daughter, Maria Gadea Aragüés, took over the show under the Sticky Vicky name, and Euro Weekly News (Spain-focused English-language paper) dates her final show to March 2025.
“A great artist, a fighter, an innovator – she is a legend.”
Maria Gadea Aragüés, daughter, speaking to Daily Star (national UK tabloid)
Is Sticky Vicky’s daughter still performing?
- Final show under the Sticky Vicky name: November 2023 (Euro Weekly News)
- Exit from the show reported on 19 March 2025, according to What’s The Jam (UK entertainment site)
- Spain Made Simple also names a second daughter, Demaria Leyton, as a performer in the show, a detail the other reviewed sources do not repeat (Spain Made Simple)
The pattern: the succession question has a sourced answer for 2024 and only a looser answer for 2025, and the public record stops there.
Key dates in the record
- February 2016: Retirement announced at age 72 after a cancer diagnosis (The Local Spain).
- 29 November 2023: Death, reported by BBC News (UK national broadcaster).
- November 2023: Daughter’s final show under the Sticky Vicky name (Euro Weekly News).
- 19 March 2025: Daughter’s exit reported, according to What’s The Jam (UK entertainment site).
- 3 November 2026: Creator Derren Litten announced the Benidorm: The Reunion tour, a sitcom project that is separate from the performer’s act (Chortle (UK comedy news)).
The pattern: the dated record runs from a 2016 retirement to a 2026 reunion announcement, but only the 2023 death rests on a tier-one broadcaster.
Confirmed versus unconfirmed
Confirmed
- Death dated 29 November 2023 (BBC News)
- Retirement announced February 2016 at age 72 after a cancer diagnosis (The Local Spain)
- Act included ping-pong balls, sausages, eggs and razor blades, with six shows a night (The Local Spain)
- Daughter took over under the Sticky Vicky name; final show November 2023 (Euro Weekly News)
- Family plans to scatter ashes at sea off a Benidorm cove, with no public funeral (Daily Mirror (national UK tabloid))
- Daily Star campaigned for a blue plaque or statue (Daily Star)
Unclear or conflicting
- Age at death: 80 in most reports, 78 in Spain Made Simple (Sunderland Echo)
- Final-show year: the research file gives 2015 or 2016, while the dated anchor is the February 2016 report from The Local Spain
- Exit date of 19 March 2025, according to What’s The Jam
- Role of Demaria Leyton, named as a performer by Spain Made Simple
- Any 2026 performance, venue or showtime for the act (benidorm.co.uk (Benidorm show listings))
- Ticket price for the act itself; the sourced prices belong to other shows
- A granddaughter performer: no source reviewed names or describes one
- Earnings: no figures appear in the sources
The exit date that matters most to fans, 19 March 2025, rests on a tier-three site, so treat it as a lead to confirm rather than a settled fact.
The trade-off: the confirmed column covers the career and the death, while the unclear column covers everything a reader would need to buy a ticket or find a show tonight.
In their words
“I can’t believe it, she has gone surrounded by her family, with all our love.”
Maria Gadea Aragüés, daughter, speaking to BBC News (UK national broadcaster)
“We don’t want people coming to the funeral parlour and we’ve decided not to do a mass or anything public like that.”
Maria Gadea Aragüés, daughter, speaking to Daily Mirror (national UK tabloid)
“Sticky Vicky doesn’t work in Benidorm anymore.”
Des Bellamy-Wright, Benidorm Palladium staff, speaking to What’s The Jam (UK entertainment site)
The pattern: the family’s public statements are few and direct, so the outlets that relay them carry most of the weight in this record.
Where the record stands
The sources document a retirement, a death and a daughter’s final show, but nothing that confirms a current venue, a price or a successor act. For visitors to Benidorm who want the original act, the choice is clear: book a listed show whose billing names its performers, or treat any tribute as a separate product and read its billing before paying.
Related reading
Two other death-and-legacy pieces on this site check dates before repeating them.
- Jimmy Cliff: Verified Facts on His Death, Songs and Family
- Anne Burrell Death: Cause, Timeline and Confirmed Facts
The implication: the date-first method used on those pages is the same one applied to Sticky Vicky’s record here.
doncasterfreepress.co.uk, thesun.co.uk, thesun.co.uk, thescottishsun.co.uk, 1063radiolafayette.com, cledvibesradio.com
Frequently asked questions
Where was Sticky Vicky born?
The birth date is 15 April 1943, according to Spain Made Simple (Costa Blanca travel guide). The sources reviewed for this article do not give a birthplace that can be linked, so none is stated here.
What was the other stage name used by Sticky Vicky?
The second stage name is Vicky Leyton, according to Spain Made Simple (Costa Blanca travel guide).
Is there a Sticky Vicky tribute show in Benidorm?
Tribute acts run nightly across Benidorm, according to benidorm.co.uk (Benidorm show listings), but none of the reviewed sources names a Sticky Vicky tribute.
Which Benidorm venue has been linked to the Sticky Vicky show?
No venue is confirmed for the act in the sources. Benidorm bars including the Red Lion, Morgan’s Tavern and Ku Lounge host adult and tribute shows, according to benidorm.co.uk (Benidorm show listings).
Did Sticky Vicky perform in Spain?
Yes. The act was performed in Benidorm on the Costa Blanca, as The Local Spain (English-language Spanish news) reported when she retired in 2016. According to Spain Made Simple (Costa Blanca travel guide), she died at a hospital in Villajoyosa, near Benidorm.
Where can readers verify details about Sticky Vicky’s career?
Start with the BBC News (UK national broadcaster) report of the death and The Local Spain’s 2016 retirement story, which are the most solid anchors in the reviewed set. Then check the later dates against the Euro Weekly News (Spain-focused English-language paper) report on the daughter’s final show.
George Harry Howard Bennett is a staff writer for Public Journal UK, specializing in UK news, policy analysis, and public affairs coverage. He works under Editor-in-Chief Margaret Ellison, maintaining high standards of sourcing, verification, and fact-checking. Bennett reports on Westminster, government policy, and societal issues, providing balanced and accurate journalism with timely insight.