CYNTHIA LENNON bears one of the most famous names of the 20th century. Yet she remains something of a puzzle to millions of fans all over the world.

How could an ordinary young girl from Hoylake have emerged such a calm and well balanced woman from the history-making events that engulfed her? It's a question that simply makes Cynthia shrug her shoulders as she sits in the picture window of her beautiful Manx home.

"I come from a family of very placid, quiet people," she says "And I have always been the same. Nothing that's happened to me in the whole Beatles saga has done anything to change that. I've never once felt in need of a psychiatrist." She laughs. "In fact it's funny, because Julian recently came home and told me he'd been to a psychiatrist in America at his girlfriends insistence. She wanted to sort their relationship out or something." But he said: 'Mum, they're all crackers there. You're my analyst and you don't cost anything.' so we're each others shrink!" 

Divorce

The house, a Swiss chalet-style affair on the side of a ravine, has one entire wall of reinforced glass which looks out onto a cascade of water falling amid a forest of lush trees. It's there she lives happily with her partner of nearly 13 years, Jim Christie. After divorce from John Lennon as a result of Yoko Ono's arrival - Cynthia stumbled on them together in their Surrey mansion - and two subsequent failed marriages, Jim Christie is, says Cynthia, 'a miracle'.

"Jim has never felt he's living in John Lennon's shadow," says Cynthia. "He's four years younger than me and wasn't really part of that whole Beatles scene, though his parents were in showbusiness". "He knew Julian before he knew me and, in fact taught him to ride motorbikes - and we became friends as a result. He's slotted so easily into my life it really is a miracle for me.

"And living here on the island for the last nine years feels like I'm finally at rest. After I found out about John and Yoko and we split up, I seemed to be constantly on the move. I'd move house every three years, which was ridiculous, but for many different reasons - all of them some kind of search for peace." 

"Here I think I've found what I was looking for and Julian has a bolt hole in a place where we can just take a flask and go walking across the hills."

Julian has given his 'loving but predictable technical appraisal' of his mum's latest work - a surprisingly impressive version of Mary Hopkin's 1970's hit Those Were The Days. Surprising in the main because no-one had the faintest idea that the ex-wife of one half of the greatest ever singer-songwriter partnership could hold a note.

"The last time I sang in front of an audience was when I was in Hoylake parish girls choir," says Cynthia. "My mum and dad and brothers were all smiling encouragingly at me." I haven't had the occation to sing from that day to this, but even through my closest friends sniffed a bit when I told them I was making a record, they ate their words when they heard it. Julian is hard to please, son or not, and I was a little on edge about what his verdict would be, but apart from saying 'well, I'd have put guitars in here or keyboard in there' he thinks its great and he's thrilled. I've no idea what John would have thought because the situation would have never arisen if we'd stayed together. Even though we were at Liverpool Art College together he was not supportive of my painting. He didn't have time. My painting had to go out of the window. I left college when I became pregnant with Julian and so I didn't get my piece of paper to say I was going to be an art teacher. All I've got is a National Diploma - which I'm very proud of and which hangs on my wall. As John said, 'life's what happens to you when you're busy making other plans". The years that followed were so intense that whoever was around the Beatles had to be just totally supportive of them. It didn't bother me. I was very happy to be in the background. I was never one for the limelight, although life changed that for me. John wasn't difficult to live with though at all. We got on like a house on fire. There were inevitable stresses because he was so tired and pressured by all the work that was being done."

Although Yoko Ono was the ultimate reason for their eventual split, the years have given Cynthia the time to reflect more closely on the damage John's experiments with drugs did to their relationship.

"Despite the fact that we had become the focus of worldwide attention," she says, "don't forget I was still the same, sensible girl from Hoylake with my feet on the ground. Life with John took me from Hoylake to a mansion to the Maharishi in India, but I had done a lot of growing up very quickly." 

Screaming

"The Indian period was very relaxing, we were away from all the screaming and pressure. Brian Epstein had just died and we each needed to gather our thoughts. But the Beatles began dabbling in drugs when we went out with a dentist friend and he spiked our drinks. It was a night of absolute horror for all of us - probably the worst thing that's ever happened to me. After that, John got really into experimenting with drugs and because he was having a good time he wanted me to join him, but I hated it. And that was the end of the end for our relationship which was very sad."

Its now 25 years since the love story that began at Liverpool Art College ended, but she confesses she misses him deeply.

"I think no matter what two people have gone through - divorce, arguments, whatever - that its a tragedy not to be able to talk over things in later life on a nice even keel," she says. "It's tragic for Julian - and for me not to be able to talk to John about Julian. He occasionally speaks to his half brother Sean, but its not very often. I communicate with Yoko. But contrary to what the media would prefer to believe, we don't fight. We saw each other last at Auntie Mimi's funeral and it was all perfectly civil. Yoko leads her life which is extraordinary and I have mine how I like it .... ordinary."

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Take care sweet Cyn! 

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 Get back to where you onced belonged.....

And Cyn Smiles!

Last update 18/11/2002

And Cyn smiles!   1998 - 2001   by   Maria Powell Lennon