Veteran BBC radio presenter Tony Blackburn has made a startling confession about his first marriage, admitting to mutual infidelity that spiralled into a complex 'love square' involving the couple next door.
The Confession on the Podcast
The 82-year-old broadcasting icon opened up about his past during an appearance on the Rosebud podcast with Gyles Brandreth. When asked if he had stopped 'playing the field' after marrying actress Tessa Wyatt in 1972, Blackburn gave a candid reply. 'Yes I did. Although we both had affairs,' he stated, revealing a secret that remained hidden for years.
Unbeknownst to each other at the time, both Tony and Tessa were being unfaithful with their neighbours, who were also close friends. Tony was having an affair with Margo Webb, while simultaneously, Margo's husband, Roger Webb, was involved in an affair with Tessa. Blackburn explained the bizarre situation: 'She didn't know I was having an affair with the next door neighbour, and then she was having an affair with her [the neighbour's] husband.'
A Marriage Unravelled by Secrets
The couple, who wed when Blackburn was 29, welcomed a son, Simon, in 1973. However, their marriage ultimately ended in divorce in 1977. Tessa only discovered the full extent of Tony's infidelities years later when she read his autobiography, which he has since branded as 'awful'.
Reflecting on the breakdown of the relationship, Blackburn added, 'She left me for Richard O’Sullivan. We got married too young.' He also expressed lingering confusion, saying, 'I could never understand why she married me in the first place because she was very beautiful.'
The autobiography, written by a ghost writer named Cheryl Garnsey, became a significant source of regret for the DJ. It controversially claimed he had slept with 250 women. 'It was too honest,' Blackburn lamented. 'My parents didn't like it very much.' He revealed the ghost writer pushed for more sensational content, asking for 'a bit more sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll'. When he clarified he hadn't done drugs, she simply asked how many people he had slept with. 'I stupidly told her,' he said, 'And it was published. And I never read the book before it went out.'
New Love and Health Struggles
Tony Blackburn later found lasting love with Debbie Thomson. The couple married in a ceremony at St Margaret's Church, Westminster, in 1992 and welcomed their daughter, Victoria, five years later in 1997.
In more recent years, the broadcaster has faced serious health challenges. In August 2023, he was hospitalised for two months after developing pneumonia and life-threatening sepsis (blood poisoning). The infection reached his heart. 'I'm quite lucky to be still be around,' he admitted.
Recalling the scare, he said a doctor told him he wouldn't be making his scheduled radio shows. Blackburn believes the sepsis originated from a tooth extraction, issuing a warning: 'You have to be really careful!'
