Britain’s most married man is planning to leave his eighth wife for Christmas – to spend it with would-be wife number NINE in the Philippines.
Randy Ron Sheppard, 67, fell for Filipino call centre worker Cristel Marquez – who is 40 years his junior – after secretly chatting her up online.
The couple first met over ten years ago, when Cristel was 15 or 16 and part of a group of friends, while he was married to Wan (wife no. 7) and living in Thailand.
Ron’s current wife Weng (no. 8), 36, gave him the boot after 11 years’ marriage because of his antics on a recent trip to the Far East.
The retired holiday camp entertainer shared a bed with young female masseuse Iza Samontes, 27, on a solo holiday in the Philippines and furious Weng demanded a divorce.
Ron, who has eight children from his marriages, denied misbehaving and tried to win Weng back – but now admits he has already set his sights on wife nine.
He and Weng still share a house in Martock, Somerset, but living separate lives.
Ron has not yet told Weng any of his plans to fly to the Philippines and spend the festive season with 27-year-old Cristel, who is single with no children.
Ron, who first walked down the aisle 49 years ago, said: “Weng doesn’t know anything about this at all. I’m just keeping it quiet from her.
“She thinks that I’m going to marry the massage girl, but I’m not.
“I met Cristel on a website called loveawake.com. We just said ‘hello’.
“She had put a thing up saying that she was ‘interested’ so I looked at that and we just started chatting.
“I knew what was going to happen months ago with Weng and me, and I thought ‘well I don’t like being alone’.
“I think I’ve decided I will probably move to the Philippines anyway. I find that it is better for my Parkinson’s with the heat.”
He added: “Cristel knows I’ve been married eight times but we just sort of fell for each other.
“She’s a lovely girl. Weng was probably my number one, but as far as I’m concerned now that’s all over.
“She can go and do what she wants and I can get on with my life.”
Asked what he liked about Cristel, Ron said: “She’s very simple. She comes from a simple family.
“She’s just a very nice, caring sort of girl.
“Obviously I sort of tested her to see if she was after money, but she said she has got her own job and she has her own house.
“I’m going to go over there next week or the week after, and I’ll probably go for three or four months.”
Asked if she could end up becoming wife number nine, he admitted: “I’m most certain of it because of the kind of person she is.
“I’ve got to find out for myself through. I’m not going to say for definite yet – not yes or no.”
Ron said he has already discussed marriage with Cristel and added: “She definitely loves me and she knows about the eight and she’s very keen and I’m quite keen.
“We would live out in the Philippines but we might come back here. I might bring her back with me when I come back in May.”
Cristel, who lives in Pampanga with her mother, said: “We’ve got a great connection.
“We first met when I was around 15 or 16 and we had a mutual friend in Thailand, so we’ve known each other for years, but we met again recently on an online dating website.
“It’s feels like fate. It just happened.
“I want to marry Ron – definitely. He is a very loving person and so sweet. I’m attracted to him. I’ve fallen in love with him.
“I know about Ron being married eight times before and it doesn’t matter to me. He’s really honest and it’s already passed so it’s the past.
“We are going to meet in person again very soon. Ron is coming to visit me in the Philippines and we will see each other – hopefully this week.
“I will probably come to England too, but we don’t have a definite date yet. We’re still talking about it.”
Ron plans to spend Christmas with Cristel and her mum while wife 8 Weng will be in the Philippines spending it with her family.
