Who is Simon Danczuk?
Here's all we know about the former MP for Rochdale
FORMER MP Simon Danczuk has been plagued by controversial moments over the last few years.
He represented the constituency of Rochdale from 2010 and 2017. Here’s what else we know about him.
Who is Simon Danczuk?
Simon Danczuk was born in Rochdale, Lancashire, on October 24, 1966.
He is said to have set his sights on being an MP when he was just 13-years-old.
Despite his aspirations, Danczuk left school at 16 with just one O level and went straight into a factory making gas fires.
While working, he studied at night school and gained qualifications he had missed out at secondary school.
He then gained a place as a mature student at Lancaster University to study Economics, Politics and Sociology.
The outspoken politician, who is the ex-husband of selfie queen Karen Danczuk, quit the Labour Party after they banned him from standing for re-election in 2017.
How did Simon Danczuk get into politics?
Danczuk first became involved in the Labour movement in the late 80s before being elected as a councillor to Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council when he was 27.
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He became the Labour MP for Rochdale in 2010 when he defeated Lib Dem MP Paul Rowen by less than 1000 votes.
The politician campaigned about historical allegations of child sex abuse and co-wrote a book about claims former MP Cyril Smith abused boys.
He gained a large media profile after the book Smile for the Camera: The Double Life of Cyril Smith was serialised in the Daily Mail.
Mr Danczuk quit the Labour Party and chopped up his membership card on May 8, 2017 after he was barred from standing again in his Rochdale constituency.
It came after he was accused of ‘sexting’ a teenager who had applied to work for him.
It was announced on February 1, 2024 that Danczuk would be standing as a candidate for the Reform party at the Rochdale byelection.
Who is Simon Danczuk's ex-wife Karen Danczuk?
Danczuk has been married multiple times.
He was married to Sonia Rossington between 1996 and 2010 and the couple had two children together.
The Sun revealed Sonia worked as an escort and took part in paid orgies after divorcing the politician.
The politician tied the knot with his second wife, Karen, in 2012 and together they took to social media with gusto.
Karen, a Labour councillor 16 years his junior, became known as “the Selfie Queen”.
They separated in June 2015, and their split has involved a public war of words, with claims of affairs and alcohol abuse.
Since splitting from Karen, Danczuk has been linked to a string of women.
He had a three-month fling with Labour councillor Claire Hamilton before being dumped over allegations he grew close to a female staff member in his office.
Danczuk then got engaged to his girlfriend, Charlene Meade, who is almost 20 years his junior but this ended in 2017 when she said it was "the best decision I have made".
Who is Simon Danczuk's wife Claudine Uwamahoro?
Danczuk is now married to beauty therapist Claudine - with the pair having a 28 year age gap.
The couple tied the knot in a Rwandan ceremony and had a UK bash afterwards.
She has talked about wanting to adopt a child from Rwanda with Danczuk.
She told The Mirror: “We have spoken about it and said, God willing, we will have two children and then adopt one.
“I want to adopt a very young baby from Rwanda because it is my country and people need support.”
Opening up about their age gap, Claudine said: “Age is just a number. It doesn’t matter at all when you’re looking for a successful marriage, as long as the man is the man you really want to spend the rest of your life with.
“Simon is the right man for me.
“He fits all the criteria I was looking for, so the age gap doesn’t matter.”