George Lazenby 'punched pregnant ex-wife and broke her nose while son was dying of cancer'

11 April 2012
The Weekender

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The bitter divorce battle between George Lazenby and estranged wife Pamela Shriver descended into further turmoil today after the actor's first wife claimed he subjected her to years of physical and emotional abuse.

Lazenby is fighting for custody of his three children with former tennis star Shriver, but the allegations from his ex-wife Christina Master and their adult daughter have dealt him a major blow.

In explosive court declarations the pair allege the 007 actor beat, threatened and tormented them. Lazenby vehemently denies the allegations.

George Lazenby and his wife Pamela Shriver are fighting for custody of their three children

His ex-wife Christina says Lazenby punched her in the face when she was five months pregnant and broke her nose when their son was dying from cancer.

She claims he threatened to kill her when she told him she wanted a divorce and says she was so fearful he meant it that it took years before she found the courage to leave him in 1994.

But Lazenby says the declarations are 'contrived, unfounded and without merit'.

In a statement released by his spokesman Michael Sands he said: 'I wish Christina would show me a medical report, x-rays and pictures that show I broke her nose. I never punched her in my life.


In an exclusive interview with MailOnline last week Lazenby said he hadn't wanted the divorce to degenerate into a court battle. ‘I can’t believe it’s come to this,' he said. 'I wanted to play fair with Pam – to let her share the kids 50/50. But she won’t hear of it. She wants to cut my throat and leave me with nothing. It’s heartbreaking.’

Daughter Melanie Lazenby, now 34, says Lazenby 'tormented me, humiliated me, hurt me physically, scarred me emotionally' and 'placed a feeling of fear and mistrust in me'.

She claims from the ages of 10 to 21 her father would 'frequently' attack her, hitting and slapping her and pinning her against walls.

Fame: Lazenby as James Bond

Fame: Lazenby as James Bond

She says on one occasion when she was about 18, Lazenby pushed her head down a toilet into her own urine.

Melanie, who suffered from anorexia and bulimia from the age of 16, says Lazenby constantly told her she was not thin enough.

She claims he taunted her by calling her 'Miss Ethiopia' when she was at her thinnest.

Lazenby said he was 'sorry that he ignored Melanie from the time she was 12 years old', but claimed he was busy attending to his son Zack's needs  - 'because he was dying from his brain tumors'. 

Lazenby and Master's son was ill for eight years from the age of 11 until his death at 19.

'Melanie is always seeking revenge for that mistake,' he said.

'I did not have 'one' drink, while attending to Zack for eight years!' he added.

And he said: 'I never thought a family member would kick me when I was down'.

Melanie says she did not speak to her dad for about 18 months after he invited her over for Christmas, only to allegedly make her spend Christmas Day alone after telling her she was his 'old family' and he did not need her any more.

She also claims he 'will often change the facts of the past to suit himself'.

The allegations are revealed in court papers filed last Friday as part of Lazenby's bitter custody fight with Shriver over their children Georgie, four, and two-year-old twins Sammy and Katie.

The documents were filed at Los Angeles Superior court along with Shriver's response to allegations made against her by Lazenby in his court declaration.

Lazenby claims Shriver sought out his ex-wife and daughter during the French Open in May this year while she was 'secretly'  preparing for a divorce.

'Pam used my family against me but it is not working,' he added.

In happier times; Shriver and Lazenby with their son Georgie

In happier times; Shriver and Lazenby with their son Georgie

Publishing heiress Christina - also known as Townson or Gannett - met Lazenby in 1970, a year after his one film as Bond.

They were married for 21 years and had two children together, but their son Zack died of cancer aged 19.

She says in her declaration: 'On a few occasions, I told George that I wanted a divorce and he said that he would kill me if I ever left or that he would take the children.

'I never left George until after our son passed away and our daughter was 21 years old, out of fear that he meant what he said and would follow through on it.'

She tells how Lazenby allegedly hit her in the face when she was aged 21 and five months pregnant when he told her where to park their car and she chose another space.

Her declaration says: 'As I was turning into the parking spot I felt a thump by George in the side of my face. I looked at George, his jaw was clenched and pulsing.

'He looked furious and he yelled "You park where I tell you to!"'

Christina says Lazenby hit her and Melanie 'several times' after Zack was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 1985. She believes he felt 'helpless and frustrated' about not being able to cure Zack and 'lashed out even more in his aggravated and devastated state'.

Christina says she told Lazenby she wanted to take Zack to Hawaii when it became clear he was losing his cancer battle in 1994 so he could spend his last days in his favourite place.

Her statement says: 'I looked down for a second when I felt a hard blow from George to my face and I fell to the ground. I was terrified.'

Christina claims a doctor said her nose was broken and advised her to 'stay out of harm's way'.

She alleges Lazenby attacked her about a month later in Hawaii after she told him his belief a doctor was responsible for Zacks' death was ridiculous.

The statement says: 'I then went into our walk-in closet to get my sneakers. I bent forward to pick them up when I was kicked so hard by George from behind that my head slammed against the wall.

'When I looked up, George was furious and threatened to kill me if I didn't agree with him. I felt sorry for George, but I was afraid to get trapped in the closet with him in that state.

'I retreated and became quiet until he dropped his guard for a second and then I ran downstairs screaming that he had no right to hurt me. I ran as hard as I could down to the beach where there would be witnesses in case he tried to hurt me further.

'Later, George said that I made him do it. George never said that he was sorry for any harm he caused to me or the children.'

Christina, who is now believed to live in Europe, alleges Lazenby 'frequently' hit Melanie.

She says he 'would often humiliate' his daughter, did not feel Melanie deserved her private school education, snubbed her graduation and often forgot her birthday.

She claims: 'George made sure that she would feel that she was not an important member of the household.'

Shriver and Lazenby have three young children

Shriver and Lazenby have three young children

In her declaration, Melanie says she has 'several recollections of my Dad losing control and becoming violent and aggressive towards myself and others'.

She recalls an alleged incident in 1992, when she was aged about 18 and would often anger Lazenby by forgetting to flush the toilet in her private bathroom.

She claims: 'One time, he went into the bathroom and saw that my toilet was not flushed and he pulled me out of a chair in the living room, dragged me into the bathroom, lifted the toilet seat up, and pushed my face inside of the toilet bowl into my own urine - to teach me a lesson about flushing toilets.'

Melanie, who insists she still loves her father, claims he also dragged her out of bed at 3am and dropped her on the floor for not unloading a dishwasher in 1993.

She says: 'In general, from the ages of about ten to 21 my Dad frequently would hit me, pin me up against a wall, slap me, and hold either my arms or my face with extreme force - frequently causing bruises.

'Usually, his physical attacks were the result of actual or perceived disrespect towards him, back talk, or not following his orders. Sometimes he would attack me under the influence of alcohol, sometimes sober.'

She adds: 'During my childhood, I was also frequently subjected to emotional abuse in addition to the physical abuse. My dad constantly picked on me about not being very intelligent (I have dyslexia) and also that he did not think I was thin enough.

'I ended up suffering from anorexia and bulimia from the age of 16 onwards. At my thinnest point from the disease (I was 97 pounds and 5'8'') my Dad asked me if I was worried that "my legs might break and go up my ass" or sing "Here she comes, Miss Ethiopia" to the Miss America tune when I would walk past him.

'He referred to that as "his Australian sense of humor" and said that "Americans had thin skin" if I would ask him to stop.'

Melanie recalls another alleged incident when she was a teenager when she says Lazenby offered her $100 to do a handstand, three tumbles and hop on one leg while wearing a bathing suit.

When she did it he gave her the money and allegedly told her: 'Congratulations - you are a whore. That is what whores do - what men tell them to do for a quick buck.

'I though you'd fall for that one - you idiot.'

Melanie adds: 'My Dad was insistent that he was doing the right thing and that these lessons - even though they were harsh - needed to be taught. He also said that I was the only reason that he and my Mom argue and that if they got a divorce that I could feel responsible for it.'

In her 10-page statement, Melanie tells how Lazenby was waiting with a gun when she returned home with a college friend an hour after her curfew.

She says: 'We walked around the corner to find my Dad standing in the dark with a gun pointed at us and we were terrified. I am not sure if the gun was loaded or unloaded.

'He called us idiots and told us that we were lucky that he didn't shoot us as he assumed we were intruders entering the house at such a late hour.'

Melanie says she would only see Lazenby about once a year after her parents' divorce but made a decision to have more contact with him to have a relationship with her half-brothers and sister when he started a family with Shriver.

Lazenby played Bond in the 1969 film On Her Majesty's Secret service

Lazenby played Bond in the 1969 film On Her Majesty's Secret service

She describes the alleged 2004 Christmas Eve bust-up with Lazenby referred to by Shriver in her original court declaration.

She claims a drunk Lazenby called her 'a lying bitch' in a Canberra restaurant after she had declined to go with him to a hardware store earlier in the day.

Melanie says: 'He said that I was his "old family" and then (pointing to Pam and Georgie) that he had a "new family" and that he didn't need me anymore.

'He told me that Christmas was cancelled for me and that everyone else would be having a wonderful Christmas the next morning, except for me.'

Melanie says she spent Christmas Day alone in her hotel room and did not speak to Lazenby for about 18 months afterwards.

She says: 'He invited me to fly 21 hours from New York to Sydney, with a promise that we would start a new relationship and have a wonderful Christmas - only to have him revert back to the man I grew up with once I was there - who wanted to intimidate, embarrass, and exert control over me - despite the fact that I was 31 years old at the time of the incident.'

Melanie claims she asked Lazenby to apologise for her alleged 'childhood abuse' after she had college to give her closure.

She says he denied ever properly hitting her and allegedly told her 'that if he had ever actually hit me that I'd be dead.'

Lazenby: Denies allegations of abuse

Lazenby: Denies allegations of abuse

Melanie says: 'Sadly, I have found that my Dad will often change the facts of the past to suit himself and I never sought an apology or acknowledgement of what happened after that.

'He tormented me, humiliated me, hurt me physically, scarred me emotionally, and has placed a feeling of fear and mistrust in me about him that I have never been able to get past despite giving it a good effort.

'I was surprised to learn that - at the age of 65 - that he was having another child. I did fear for the child's safety due to my own past experience with my Dad.'

Melanie says she has never seen Lazenby bully or physically harm his children with Shriver.

But she claims: 'My fear is that he does have a temper - which sometimes leads to violence and saying awful things - and that it could flare up again when provoked.

'I do worry if he is alone with them and one of the children upsets him - that without someone to step in if he gets into a fit of rage - that one of the children could get hurt based on his past behaviour. I truly don't feel that my Dad means to hurt anyone, but his temper does get the best of him and he is sometimes unable to control himself.

'I feel that because of the tender ages of the children that it would be best to err on the side of caution and to only allow him supervised visits to ensure their safety.'

Lazenby and Shriver faced each other in court for the first time on Monday, when a judge refused their appeal to seal the case file and keep further damaging revelations out of the public eye.

The Australian actor is being limited to three weekly monitored visits with his children and Shriver has a temporary restraining order against him. Shriver refutes a host of claims by Lazenby in the latest declarations.

She denies Lazenby's claims she takes a 'nightly cocktail' of prescription painkillers and sleeping pills with alcohol.

The ex-tennis champion says: 'I deny every single allegation that I am ever anything but cognisant and able to function well in all areas.'

Shriver includes as an exhibit a copy of the letter she says she left Lazenby when she walked out on him after a row allegedly turned physical at Wimbledon last year.

The two-page letter says: 'I feel forced to leave with the kids to a safe haven, and ask you one last time to seek help.'

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