Scottish singer Lulu and celebrity hairstylist John Frieda, who died this week, were married for over a decade before their difficult split in 1991, as his multi-million pound business began to take off. The couple married in 1976 at Hampstead Register Office in London, with pop royalty such as Elton John, Ringo Starr and Tom Jones among the attendees. They welcomed son Jordan a year later.
A Decade of Marriage and Career Success
The couple were together for more than a decade as their careers went from strength to strength. John, who had styled the hair of Princess Diana and Joanna Lumley, launched his own haircare brand, and as the business took off, he told Lulu their marriage was over.
Lulu, who had previously been married to Maurice Gibb, said she and John were "just children" when they got together. She also said they suffered a tragic miscarriage during their time together.
The Painful Split
She claimed John said: "We're not getting along, we've nothing in common. We never did have anything in common. I know exactly where I'm going and I know exactly what I want in my life. I want out."
Looking back years later, she said: "I think John left me in 1988 when I lost the baby. I was in denial of my marriage going wrong. I didn't see us drifting apart. I always thought there would be signs. Perhaps there were. I just didn't see them."
Financial Settlement and Business Success
Amid the separation, the pair had to work out their finances, just as John's line of products began to rake in the cash. She said: "John had always looked after the money side of things. I was happy to hand all that responsibility over to him. His product range was on the verge of huge success, but potential is something that is difficult to quantify on a balance sheet, let along a divorce settlement. Afterwards, many of my friends felt as though I should have had a stake in John's business from the beginning. John never offered and I didn't press him."
Reflections on the Marriage
Lulu has previously described the split as "excrutiating", saying she felt as though she was "dying". She said: "That was a very painful time in my life. It was excruciating. I thought I was dying. I thought I would die without my last husband. Quite clearly, I survived."
John had spoken less about the split and only had praise for his ex, admitting he was disillusioned by being married to someone more famous than him. He however says he never stopped loving Lulu. He said: "She is an incredible person. And if I'd not been uptight, paranoid, not wanting to be 'Mr. Lulu'… But I was a young guy. Whatever happened, whatever the reasons, you never stop loving that person. You may be angry, you may be worried about things, you may feel something happened that you didn't like. But you have not left that person. I never stopped loving her. She's the mother of my son. She's a great person."
