Shane Richie, his wife Christie and one of their children in 2006. You can see a photo of the mistress here

This story is a couple of days old, so for the people who know this guy, our UK readers, this will be old news. I’m just learning about it now, and even though I don’t know the guy I wanted to repeat this very infuriating, somewhat typical (as far as celebrity scandals go) story of infidelity. What’s more is the guy’s ex wife has written a column all about how he was cheating on her throughout their marriage and how she’d hoped he’d changed when he remarried. The ex wife’s story is the most interesting to me, but first let’s review the details. Shane Richie, a 47 year-old Eastenders (long-running British soap opera) actor, cheated on his wife for six years with a now 29 year-old woman who ran his fan website. When the current wife, who now has three kids with the guy, learned of the affair she either forgave her husband or believed his lies, and then had another child with him. Here’s a little more, with a lot more at the source if you’re interested:

Eastenders favourite Shane Richie cheated on his wife with a fan he first met at the stage door when she was 13.

He started seducing besotted Alison Hall when she was 20 after making her chief of his online fan club – and first had sex with her in her family home while her mum was downstairs.

Shane, 47, who stars as lovable rogue Alfie Moon in the BBC1 soap – had a six-year affair with Alison, now 29.

They first had sex when she was 22 and soon they were sleeping together up to twice a week. He also texted her with demands for explicit photos behind the back of loyal wife Christie, 32, mother to his three youngest children.

When Shane callously dumped Alison, she confronted Christie with damning evidence of the affair in an explosive heart-to-heart meeting last year.

But the smooth-talking actor convinced his wife to give him another chance. He then brazenly went on to tell the world of his devotion to Christie, boasting: “I’m playing happy families on screen and doing it for real at home”… whitewashing his past in a show of breathtaking hypocrisy.

Tearful Alison told the Sunday Mirror: “He seduced me in the spare bedroom when I was working on his website.

“Like an idiot I went along with him for years. I devoted 17 years of my life to Shane. He knew I would do anything for him and he used me for sex.

“I was completely besotted and he took advantage of that. It broke my heart. He was my life and when he dropped me I felt like I had nothing to live for.”

[From Mirror.co.uk]

Richie’s first wife and the mother of his two oldest kids, English television presenter Colleen Nolan, wrote a long response to this story detailing how she felt when she found out she was being cheated on. She writes that a lot of people expected her to be gloating, but that she’s just sad for Shane’s wife and kids. Her story is one that a lot of women can sadly relate to:

As I read about Shane’s sex sessions with Alison Hall, who’d been running his fan website, it was like stepping back in time.

During the years we were together Shane also had a long-running affair with a dancer. Later I discovered there had been plenty of other women too. It totally destroyed me.

But when our marriage ended it virtually destroyed Shane too. He was devastated that his cheating had destroyed our family, broken our hearts and caused untold damage for our sons.

And that is why I held on to the hope that this particular leopard would change his spots. I really believed he could do it.

But maybe some leopards just end up disappointing you – and ­themselves.

When Shane settled down with his new wife Christie he seemed genuinely happy. They’ve had three beautiful children together and Shane would be the first to tell you he adores his wife and loves being a family man.

And I don’t doubt that for a moment. But for some men that just isn’t enough.

Shane loved me and adored our sons Shane Jnr and Jake too.

He would ring me 100 times a day to say how much he loved me and missed me.

And it was that absolute ­devotion which made it ­impossible for me to accept for years that he would really be cheating on me. How could he?

But all the time there were hints and clues that he was playing around. If I ever ­challenged him he’d deny it flatly until I became convinced I was going mad.

In the end, finding out about the affair was almost a relief. Because in the end it is the lies which are the killer.

Yes, it’s horrific accepting that the man you love has been having sex with another woman. But it’s the lies and loss of trust which keeps you awake at night afterwards.

And that’s why my heart breaks for Christie. Because I know that sickening feeling of discovering everything you thought was real was something else entirely.

And I wouldn’t wish that on any woman in the world. When the story about Shane broke on Sunday morning my phone was buzzing with messages from friends and family.

I think some people might have expected me to be gloating. But in ­absolute honesty all I felt was just incredibly sad.

When you discover your husband has been cheating on you it is like everything in your world been chucked up in the air and you’re not quite sure where anything fits.

[From The Mirror]

Shane’s publicist has issued a statement that Shane and his wife are not splitting up. It reads “Shane and his wife Christie have been aware of these allegations for some time and they remain fully united.”

So did this ass convince his wife that the fansite operator was a crazed stalker making up a story and did she buy it? I hope she reads that article from his ex wife. With guys like this there’s never just one mistress.

Shane and his wife, Christie, are shown in 2006 and 2007. Credit: Fame and WENN.