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Freddie Starr’s estranged wife is ‘devastated’ by his death

Freddie Starr’s estranged wife is "devastated" following his death.
The late comedian was found dead aged 76 at his home in the Costa Del Sol, Spain, on Thursday (09.05.19), and now his estranged wife Sophie Lea – whom he split from in 2015, but was still married to at the time of his death as they’d not gone through divorce proceedings – has said that despite their break-up, she’s still heartbroken by the news of his passing.
Sophie had previously accused Freddie of physical and verbal abuse during their marriage, but insists their "differences" are now just "water under the bridge".
Speaking to Mail Online, Sophie – who was 39 years younger than Freddie – said: "Although we broke up a long time ago I was devastated to hear the news of Freddie’s death. We hadn’t spoken for a long time despite still being legally married after he moved to Spain. Although we had our differences that’s all water under the bridge now."
Sophie had previously described their marriage as "hell" when she alleged he had been "abusive" toward her, but he had denied the claims.
In 2016, Freddie said: "I deny ever verbally or physically abusing her. I deny that completely."
Meanwhile, Freddie’s showbiz pal Bobby Davro revealed on Friday (10.05.19) that he had been planning on meeting up with the late star last year, but plans had been cancelled when Freddie said he was too ill.
Bobby said: "I might have been one of the last people to speak to him.
"I went over to Spain to do a couple of gigs last year. Someone said Freddie was living in that place in Spain.
"I got in touch with him, got hold of his number and phoned him up.
"At first he didn’t really feel like talking, but then he called me back.
"He said, ‘How are you doing, Bob?’
"I said, ‘I’m alright, Freddie. Would you like to meet up for a cup of tea? I’m in town.’
"He said, ‘No … I’ve not been too well.’
"And just looking at those pictures … I want to remember the Freddie we all knew.
"Rest in peace, Freddie. He was fantastic."