Charles Bronson's ex-wife Paula Williamson was found dead 'on bed of cocaine' just hours after he revealed he had found new love
Former 'Coronation Street' actress Paula Williamson, 38, the ex-wife of Britain's most violent and notorious prisoner Charles Bronson, died of a suspected drug overdose
We had previously reported that Paula was found dead at a house on Gordon Avenue, Sneyd Green, around 7 am on July 29 and that her death was not being treated as suspicious.
However, there were seemingly some mitigating circumstances, including how her relationship with Bronson had been in tatters in recent months.
On July 28, Bronson, 66, who has spent 44 years behind bars, had announced that he wanted to marry a pensioner called 'Joan' when he is freed. "There’s not a 33-year-old bird out there who’s fit to clean her shoes," he said. His relationship with Paula, who he married in November 2017, has been strained since a photo of another man burying himself in her bosom went viral.
In March 2019, it was rumored that they would be divorcing after she was "humiliated" at his request to wear a catsuit when she visited him the next time in prison. A few weeks ago, she went forward with the split and asked that their marriage be annulled on grounds that it was not consummated.
It was reported that Paula was "absolutely heartbroken" at having to divorce Bronson. "She's just had enough," a source said at the time. "Enough is enough. She loves Charlie a lot. She's stood by him. It's been very difficult having to see your husband in jail and she's done all of that."
Now, The Sun is claiming that her broken marriage may have played a part in her death. The paper claimed that, in the lead up to her death, on July 27 night, she had been kicked out of a nightclub while "off her face" and that, on July 29, her body was discovered "on top of a bed of cocaine and tablets" by her new lover.
"She had only been with her new boyfriend for a couple of weeks when he found her," a source told the tabloid. "It didn’t seem like she had been mourning her marriage but the timing suggests she was hiding how she felt. She had put on quite a bit of weight recently and was enjoying her booze", the source said.
Indeed, Paula had even checked herself into rehab in 2018 after admitting she had tried to commit suicide via drug overdose. She also revealed she had an alcohol and prescription medication problem and was suffering from depression, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder.
A statement from the Staffordshire Police said, "A post-mortem will take place to establish the cause of death but the death is not being treated as suspicious."