Barbara Stonehouse divorced John after discovering his truth and moved on with her new husband. Barbara is happily remarried now.
Barabara Stonehouse who now identifies herself as Barbara Flexney-Briscoe is the first wife of former UK MP John Stonehouse. The couple were married for over 30 years and shared three children until John decided to fake his death and start a new life with his secretary Sheila Buckley in Australia.
The news of his drowning off the beach in Florida was hard to digest for Barbara according to RadioTimes, she was devastated after learning about the fate of her husband. However, when the truth of his faking his own death and moving to Australia with a forged identity with his secretary to start a new life emerged, Barabara was blindsided and their marriage ended in divorce in 1978.
Stonehouse who had managed to get into Australia with a forged identity via Hawaii and Mauritius had been scooping money out of his bank account into the Bank of NewZealand and Bank of New South Wales was later found to be an illegal immigrant by Australian police and deported back to the United Kingdom where he was arrested and tried for fraud. He was sent behind bars for 7 years.
Now the Stonehouse’s drama is being recreated by ITV in an hour-long three-part documentary which is set to air on January 2, 3, and 4.
What Happened To Barbara Stonehouse?
Barbara Stonehouse suffered two shocks, first of her husband death and second of his fraud for making his demise.
Barbara left John after such betrayal and is remarried to Dennis Flexney-Briscoe now.
John’s wife of 30 years Barbara was devastated to learn about the news of her husband drowning just off the coast of Miami, Florida when going for a long swim. Little did she know, it was all an elaborate plan of sneaking into Australia and starting a brand new life with his secretary Sheila Buckley.
However, when Barbara came to know about all the faking from her husband. She was caught blindsided adding to her initial shock. Here is everything to know about John Stonehouse’s first wife Barbara.
Who Is John Stonehouse First Wife Barbara?
John Stonehouse’s first wife Barbara was one of his biggest supporters as he faced economic difficulties.
According to Daily Mail, Barbara was by John’s side in his good times and bad times. The couple got married in 1948 and shared three children, two daughters Jane and Julia, and a son Mathew in their 30 years old married life.
She was born around the year 1932 and is now 91 years old as of 2023, she was reported to be 79 years old in 2011 by Daily Mail.
Where Is Barbara Smith Stonehouse Now?
Barbara Smith Stonehouse now identifies herself as Barbara Flexney-Briscoe.
Barbara changed her name after she married her second husband Dennis Flexney-Briscoe, a public consultation, according to Daily Mail. She tied the knot with her second husband after giving her divorce to John.
She has now moved on but still expresses her disagreement with the inaccuracies and factual errors in publications related to the Stonehouse incident and the portrayal of her life and characters in all the books and other written works.
Barbara wrote a letter to the editorial legal director of Hachette UK Limited demanding answers and rectification of the book titled Stonehouse: Cabinet Minister, Fraudster, Spy by Julian Hayes. She has expressed her queries and pointed out all the errors in the book in a lengthy letter which is available to read on her daughter Julia Stonehouse’s website.
She lost her second husband Dennis on November 24, 2012, at the age of 88 years old according to Legacy. She has not revealed her whereabouts since then but she was living in Wiltshire with her husband prior to his passing away.
John Stonehouse True Story on ITV
John Stonehouse’s true story will air on ITV as a three-part documentary on January 2, 3, and 4.
Stonehouse will star Matthew Macfadyen as John Stonehouse, Keeley Hawes as his first wife Barbara Stonehouse, and Emer Heatley as his secretary Sheila Buckley among others. The television series is directed by Jon S Baird and the screenplay is done by John Preston.
According to RadioTimes, the documentary is set to cover his married life with his wife Barbara, his extramarital affair with his secretary Sheila with whom he planned to settle down, and his alleged stint of spying on the British government for the Czech secret service. The factual drama series will explore Stonehouse’s story after he vanishes from Miami, Florida during a business trip faking his own death.
Why Did John Stonehouse Fake His Death?
John Stonehouse faked his own death to settle in Australia with his secretary Sheila Buckley and start a new life.
However, the pivotal point when he left a neatly folded pile of clothes at the beach and swam towards the ocean during a business trip in Miami, Florida, never to return again had some major build-up.
According to Daily Mail, another main reason for his disappearance was his debt. Stonehouse was in around $966148.00 (£800,000) in debt at the time of his disappearance, which equals to over $12 million or (£10 million) in today’s money. Furthermore, nearly $725,000 was also missing from a charity fund he had set up at a Bangladeshi Bank to help the flood victims.
Stonehouse’s 23 companies also faced several difficulties during the economic hard time at that time. He had all the pressure to push him to give-up on his life in the UK and settle in some far land with his secretary Sheila faking his own death.