'Sooner the better' for my divorce from 'selfie queen' Karen says Labour's Simon Danczuk

Selfie fan: MP Simon Danczuk’s new girlfriend Claire Hamilton snaps herself with Lord Mandelson
Kiran Randhawa30 September 2015
WEST END FINAL

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Senior Labour MP Simon Danczuk today revealed he has a new girlfriend and said his divorce from his “selfie queen” wife cannot come through quickly enough.

The Labour MP’s acromonious split from wife Karen Danczuk has been played out in the media over the past few months. But today it emerged he has a new love interest, Claire Hamilton, and that she too is an avid selfie fan.

Mr Danczuk told the Standard: “Claire and I are seeing each other. We are really good friends and now we are in the early stages of dating.”

Asked how relations are between him and his wife, he said: “Well, we are going through a divorce, and the sooner the better.”

The Rochdale MP and Miss Hamilton, a Labour councillor in Leyland, Lancashire, were spotted at a party at the Labour party conference in Brighton last night.

When asked about her new relationship, Miss Hamilton said that she did not want to make a public comment “just yet”.

Miss Hamilton, who has been attending the party’s conference this week, has taken a number of selfies with high-profile Labour supporters, including Peter Mandelson and Eddie Izzard.

She was said to have been the youngest councillor in the country when she was elected 10 years ago aged 21. At the time she was an avowed “Blair Babe’’ and was pictured with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown at the Labour party conference in 2005, chatting to the PM at a social event following his speech. She said at the time: “He is very friendly and approachable and he wished me luck in the local elections next year.”

Selfie queen; Karen Danczuk

The high-profile split of the Danczuks was played out in the pages of newspapers and on social media over the summer. At the time he said he was convinced his wife was having an affair with her personal trainer.

The couple, who have two children, split up at the end of June.

After being accused of the affair, Mrs Danczuk, a Rochdale councillor, hit back at her husband on Twitter, insisting it was “lies” and branding the 48-year-old an “alcoholic”.

She wrote: “Pure lies! I know truth, he knows truth! KD #alcoholic #arrogant #badtemper #goodwithhis..... #truthwillout.”

In a TV interview a month later, Mr Danczuk denied he was an alcoholic, told of his love for his wife and raised the possibility that the couple could reunite, saying on air: “I’m not sure how she feels. I love Karen. We’ve had some great times together and of course I’d like us to get back together.”

He added: “I take full responsibility. I’ve been for counselling recently.It’s something I’ll regret for ever.”

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