Freddie Starr dead: From first wife to fifth - inside Freddie Starr’s DOOMED love life
FIVE wives and six children have been left behind after comedian Freddie Starr passed away on Thursday. But who was he married to?
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Liverpool born comedian Freddie Starr was pronounced dead at his Spanish home on Thursday, May 9. Many tributes have been made to this comic have who found fame after starring in TV shows such as Freddie Starr, The Freddie Starr Show and An Audience with Freddie Starr with working class comics including Frank Carson, Bernard Manning and Jim Davidson. But, despite the multitude of stars that Mr Starr knew over the years, he was reportedly said to have died as a recluse in Mijaz in Spain.
Throughout his life he was married not once, but five times, fathering six children.
Before Mr Starr took himself away to enjoy the Spanish sun, he had landed himself in the press for a number of less than flattering issues including his ex-wife leaving him for a younger man and an accusation he ate a hamster.
But according to his Spanish neighbours he spent his final months most alone in Spain.
So what is the story behind this comic’s love life and how did he end up marrying so many times?
Freddie Starr married for the first time aged just 17.
He married a woman known only as Betty in 1960 and they stayed together for 12 years, during which time they had a child together called Carl.
In 1976, Mr Starr then married former dancer Sandy and had three children together, before they split some 18 years later.
But Mr Starr told The Times his marriage with Sandy was over years before they separated and that he reached a point where he needed someone to talk to.
During the interview, he confessed to having affairs and being absent from his family for 320 days a year, adding that he tried to “buy their love and affection”.
He recalled how he decided to stop the pain he felt in his family home and cut them out of his life.
The comic told The Times: “Okay, I wasn’t the best husband in the world.
“Yes, I had affairs - but I’ve held up my hands and admitted to them. And I know I wasn’t the best father in the world.
“In the end, I just had to say: ‘Right, my family is no longer my family.’ I had to cut them out of my life to stop the pain.”
He soon met his third wife Donna, whom he did not marry for a number of years, even though they referred to one another as husband and wife before they officially married.
In the end the couple married for around three years before they divorced, which Freddie said was because he was not ready to commit himself properly.
The couple stayed together with the potential promise of marrying again in the future if Mr Starr could get himself emotionally ready for the commitment.
During Mr Starr’s time with Donna, the couple had a daughter together whom they called Ebony.
Their romance appeared to be different from the rest, and despite the fact she was 27 years younger than him, they shared a passionate but complicated romance.
The couple remarried during their time together but divorced again and separated in 2010.
In 2013, the comedian made a final attempt at finding love by marrying his fourth wife Sophie Lea in 2013.
Sophie was 40 years younger than the comic and married Freddie after reportedly dating him for three years but in 2015, the couple officially split.
The comedian was reportedly devastated at the conclusion of their marriage and so he reportedly decided to live in isolation ever since.