A former Greater Manchester MP who was suspended after he was caught sending lewd texts to a teenage girl has announced his engagement to a woman half his age.
Simon Danczuk, 56, represented Rochdale between 2010 and 2017 but was thrown out by the Labour party after the scandal emerged following his marriage breakdown with wife, Karen.
Twice-wed Simon has now proposed to his beauty therapist partner, Claudine Uwamahoro, 28, just seven months after they first met in her home city of Kigali, Rwanda, the Mirror reports.
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He called her the "perfect woman" as she said the pair are already planning a family - and insists she is already aware of his past scandals.
The father of four was married to Karen Danczuk, 39 – famed for her selfie pics. After their three-year marriage broke down in 2015, it was reported he had sex with a 22-year-old woman on his constituency office desk after meeting just days earlier on Twitter.
It was claimed he also had a relationship with mum-of-one Claire Hamilton, 32, after they shared a kiss at a Labour conference bash in Brighton.
And he was later engaged to Charlene Meade, who was 19 years his junior. Asked about the 28-year age gap between him and Claudine, Simon said: "I’m not big on age. It’s just a number as far as I’m concerned, so it’s not a factor.
"Claudine is a very mature and smart woman. I’m looking forward to getting married. I’ve found the perfect woman for me and I’m completely convinced we’ll be together for ever.
"We’ve talked about my previous relationships to an extent, as you do, and we’re familiar with each other’s backgrounds. Claudine’s a very logical person and wanted to find out for herself what I was like, who I was. She’s a very beautiful person and has a beautiful personality and is a very positive person."
The pair met over drinks in Spanish restaurant Casa Keza in March – while Simon was in Kigali on business. They went for dinner days later, stayed in touch and met up again in May when Simon travelled for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Business Forum.
He said: "We drove out to Lake Kivu, a beautiful part of the country, spent time discovering that area and got to know each other better. Then we came back and just kept talking."
Despite being 6,000 miles apart, their romance blossomed during five phone and video calls a day. Simon popped the question during a third visit to the east African country a fortnight ago.
He said: The relationship had been developing and I felt this was the next logical step, so I decided to buy a ring. I had a suite in the hotel and asked Claudine in the living room.
"I said, ‘How do you feel about getting married?’ and produced the ring. Claudine reacted with a beautiful big smile and said yes."
Claudine said: “Our relationship has grown over time. We’ve come to realise that we are both very much in love. We speak several times every day, from first thing in the morning to before we go to sleep at night.
"I was surprised but pleased by Simon’s proposal. I thought it was very romantic… quite traditional. Simon is easy to get on with. He’s had a lot of life experience, which I like to hear about, and I’ve come to learn that he’s a very sensitive and caring person."
Claudine’s family own land and commercial property in Rwanda. Simon added: "They’re lovely, caring and thoughtful people and they made me very welcome. I can imagine building a really strong relationship with them."
He said wedding ceremonies are planned for Kigali and London next summer – and the couple expect to split their time between the UK and Rwanda.
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