Ex-partner of Phones4U founder’s 18-month ‘on-off relationship’ with Darius Campbell Danesh

The former partner of phones4U founder John Caudwell has spoken of her romance with Darius Campbell Danesh, and praised him as ‘a wonderful human being’. 

Former beauty queen Claire Caudwell, 53, had an ‘on-off relationship’ for around 18 months with the tragic singer and theatre star who was found dead aged 41 in a hotel apartment in the United States last Thursday. 

But in an exclusive interview with MailOnline, she revealed that they stayed ‘fantastic friends’ after they split up about three-years-ago. 

Claire said she had been left ‘heartbroken’ by the news of his death, and had no idea about him having suffering any problems or personal issues. 

The glamorous socialite told her 28,000 followers on Instagram of her sadness on Wednesday, saying: ‘This post is done with the heaviest hearts right now as I’ve heard the news today as one of my most treasured friends has suddenly passed ‘I’m beyond shocked and saddened and my love and deepest condolences go to his wonderful family. I’m sure my love, you’re singing to the angels.’

 In a sentence, studded with heart and broken-heart emojis, she added: ‘You were my angel. Darius my love.’ 

Claire who lives with her 18-year-old son Jacobi from her relationship with philanthropist Caudwell told MailOnline: ‘I am completely heartbroken and feel like I have lost one of my dearest friends. ‘I loved him dearly and my heart goes out to his family, his wonderful parents and brothers.’ 

Claire started dating Scottish star Darius in around 2018 soon after his final split from his Canadian actress wife Natasha Henstridge. But she first met him around 14 years earlier when he supported events for the Caudwell Children charity, founded by her former partner, after he shot to fame on TV talent shows Popstars and Pop Idol in 2001. 

The singer became friendly with Claire and her then partner Caudwell, even visiting his mother Beryl and singing songs at her bedside including Nessun Dorma and Nat King Cole’s Smile, after she became housebound by a stroke.

Claire said: ‘We first met about 18-years-ago when he came out of Pop Idol and he was doing the celebrity circuit. ‘He came to our Caudwell Children charity ball as a guest to support us back then.

There were a couple of other charitable things we saw him at over the next couple of years. ‘I didn’t see him after that for ten years or more because he moved to America when he married Natasha. He was doing well there, and I never saw him.

 ‘Then about four or five years ago, I was taking my mother to see the show Funny Girl which he was touring in. 

‘He came to my local theatre in Stoke-on-Trent. I saw on TV, probably Loose Women, that he was in the show, and I was already taking my mother. ‘I thought, “Oh, gosh’, and it inspired me to contact him to see if we could say “Hi” at the end of the show or something like that.

 ‘I did manage to contact him, and he was delighted to hear from me, and said, “Why don’t we have dinner before the show?”, so we did with my mum, my sister and a couple of friends, ‘We had an early dinner, and then he performed, and he came to see us again after the show, bringing flowers for my mum which was lovely.

‘He was touring, so I didn’t see him for about a month more, but then we just went out for dinner again.’ 

Describing how the relationship started, she said: ‘It was pretty much on and off because he was touring with the show for the next few months, so we got together as and when. 

‘I went to join him on a couple of the shows and then he went to LA, so I didn’t see him for a little while longer, but then I went over to LA. It was a bit hit and miss, and on off, although always with a friendship.’ 

Claire released a string of personal photographs to MailOnline showing them enjoying time together, and even sharing a hot tub in the snow during a ski holiday in Vail, Colorado. 

But she added: ‘Ultimately with his career, and me being at home with my son, it wasn’t ideal because I couldn’t be jumping around going all over the place. ‘Summer was approaching, and obviously I was hoping to spend some time with him, but he had commitments all over the place. 

‘He was doing so much work, and I just decided it was best that we stayed friends. There was no drama or fall out. It just seemed to make sense, and we remained friends. 

‘I wanted to have a partner who could spend more time with me. We must have spent about 18 months together on or off.

 ‘So ultimately we stopped seeing each other in a romantic way, but we remained fantastic friends.’ Her relationship with Darius led to him forging a even closer friendship with her ex-partner Caudwell who described the singer after his death as ‘a vibrant young man’ who was ‘amazingly kind and amazingly talented’.

 Darius even flew back to the UK in April to sing what Caudwell described as a ‘a spine-tingling’ rendition of Hallelujah at the funeral of his mother after she died aged 98. 

Claire said: ‘That was when we last spent time together. He came over especially for the funeral of John’s mum, but he stayed at my home for a few days. 

She insisted that he showed no sign of any personal problems during his visit, saying: ‘He was perfect and spot on. He was just the same him – absolutely perfect.’

Claire even released the last picture of them together, larking around at her home in Staffordshire during his stay in April. 

Talking of their continuing friendship, she said: ‘Even when I was alone and single, he would escort me to charity events, parties and all sorts as my plus one for the want of a better word. He was always a perfect gentleman.

 ‘I Face Timed him last in May. That was the last time I saw his face. ‘He became extremely good friends with John, and did a lot with him and the charity. He was also very good with my son. 

 ‘John was with me when we first got to know him through the charity. So John knew him anyway, but their friendship deepened as a result of me being with him.

‘John and I are extremely close still and have a very good relationship. I will go to his events and parties. So as a result of me being with Darius, he came along to events and parties that John was having, and they got closer.

‘He came over especially to sing for John’s mum at her funeral. It was amazing of him. All of my friends loved him. He was just an overall wonderful human being.’

Claire said she still had no idea how Darius had died in his apartment hotel room in Rochester, Minnesota, opposite St Mary’s May Clinic Hospital, a care facility specialising in cancer, cardiology and heart surgery.

She said: ‘I am still waiting to hear myself. We haven’t heard any finer detail which I am sure the family will get to now first. I am sure we will find out at some point.’