Britain’s most married man is tying the knots again! Great-grandfather Ron Sheppard, at the age of 68, is going through divorce proceedings with his 8th wife.
After spending the 2015 New Year’s Eve with single mother Filipino Cristel Marquez Lalec, 26, he proposed to her. Since that day, Sheppard had, however, not seen the lady until recently when Lalec has arrived in Britain for a month-long holiday. The couple are planning their marriage.
Sheppard was 19 when he married his first wife in 1966. That was 50 years ago, and 24 years before Lalec was born!
Speaking to Daily Mirror, Sheppard said: “Make no mistake about it, Cristel will be my forever wife. This one is real love. This is the last one- I promise.”
The couple are looking forward to their Christmas together. Lalec will return to the Philippines in January 2017 to take care of her son. Once Sheppard’s divorce proceedings conclude, Lalec will return to UK to marry him.
Lalec said: “I know what it looks like but I am not here for a passport. I am not here to take advantage of Ron.” She added that she is looking forward to taking care of Sheppard. The couple first met when Sheppard was married to his Thai wife Wan (number 7 on his list). Then, Sheppard and Wan were friends with Lalec and the three would spend together.
While Sheppard has a restraining order against Weng (number 8 on Sheppard’s list), Lalec is undeterred and said “All I want to do is take care of him. And that it is what I am going to do.”
See: Stephanie Linning, “It’ll be NINTH time lucky promises Britain’s most-married man (just as soon as he can divorce wife number eight)”, MailOnline, 25 November 2016
As a divorce lawyer in Singapore, I have seen many of my ex-clients gone to get married after their divorce. However, someone like Sheppard comes far and few. Most of my clients learn from their experience in previous marriage(s) and avoid the pitfalls in their next marriage. Divorce is certainly not something people want to go through again and again.
Prenuptial Agreement in Singapore
While everybody hopes that their marriage will be the last, there is no absolute certainty. As a family lawyer in Singapore, I would advise all of my clients to enter into a prenuptial agreement with their better-half prior to the marriage. In the unfortunate event that things do not turn out as expected, as least it will be amicable.
One can only hope that Sheppard makes it last this time around and does not go on to beat his own record.
You may also be interested to read more about:
2. Annulment (Nullity) of Marriage
5. Maintenance Issues (Alimony)
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