Christine Keeler has passed away aged 75. The former model and showgirl, who was best known for the 1963 political scandal involving Tory cabinet minister John Profumo, passed away on Monday while in hospital. Christine had suffered from the lung disease COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and had been ill for several months before sadly passing away. Her son, Seymour Platt, told the Guardian: "My mother passed away last night at about 11.30pm," on Tuesday. She is survived by two sons and one granddaughter.
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© Photo: Getty ImagesChristine is survived by two sons and a granddaughter
Seymour added: "There was a lot of good around Chris's rather tragic life, because there was a family around her that loved her. I think what happened to her back in the day was quite damaging… Chris was feisty. And she would never shy away from a fight. She had a terrific sense of fairness. She would stand up against anybody she thought was doing the wrong thing. And that is something I am very proud of. And hopefully, if there is one lesson I can learn from her, it would be that."
As a teenager, Christine was at the centre of a scandal after having an affair with John Profumo and a Russian diplomat during the Cold War, which led to John's resignation after lying to parliament about the affair. Christine's solicitor, Desmond Banks, said: "She was an extraordinary woman, much misunderstood, who deserves redemption. I can't think of anyone else who has had three musicals written about her, and several plays, and is seldom out of the news, for one reason or another. She was the last survivor of a story that gripped Great Britain and the world more than 50 years ago."
