Mum-of-three leaves husband and kids for toyboy - but 'regrets it for life'

Edinburgh Live

8 hours ago

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A woman who abandoned her husband and three children to start a relationship with a Masai warrior in Kenya has spoken out about her regrets and the emotional impact of that period in her life.
Now 65 and residing peacefully in a coastal town in Somerset, Cheryl Thomasgood has broken her silence more than three decades after her tale garnered global attention.
Her choice to swap her comfortable suburban existence on the Isle of Wight for the remote Samburu region of Kenya in 1994 was motivated, she now admits, by a profound desire for spiritual healing and an escape from personal trauma.
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Cheryl was 34 when she encountered Daniel Lekimencho, a Masai warrior who performed traditional dances for tourists at the Bamburi Beach Hotel in Mombasa, Kenya.
Captivated by his charm and the appeal of a completely different lifestyle, she ended her marriage to her second husband Mike and left their three children behind to embark on a new life in Kenya with Daniel, who was ten years her junior, reports the Mirror.
Cheryl fully embraced Daniel's world - living in a mud hut, cooking over open fires, and adopting aspects of Masai culture, including a diet of cabbage and cow's blood. However, as time passed, the stark differences between their backgrounds and expectations began to put pressure on the relationship.
In 1995, the love story that captivated many saw the couple return to the UK, marrying on Valentine's Day in traditional Masai attire and settling on the Isle of Wight with Cheryl's children. They soon welcomed their daughter Mitsi, now 27, into their lives.
However, Cheryl describes how the fairy tale began to unravel rather quickly. Daniel, who was once deeply spiritual and rooted in Masai traditions, reportedly shifted his focus towards material wealth and status.
"I felt like I was just a meal ticket," Cheryl confided to MailOnline. "I made a huge mistake, and I have a lot of regrets - especially about how it affected my children."
According to Cheryl, Daniel started desiring a larger house, designer clothes, and funds to send to relatives back in Kenya, which led to increasing arguments and the dimming of their spiritual bond.
Daniel's moments of joy, Cheryl recalls, were when he was leaping about in the garden, engrossed in his traditional Masai dance.
"He would say that he was getting ready for battle and wanted to jump as high as an elephant. The kids loved it, but it got on my nerves after a while."
Cheryl attributed their eventual parting in 1999, a mere four years post-nuptials and a year after Mitsi arrived, to cultural differences and the challenges of adapting to life in Britain. She also acknowledges that her determination to stay in the marriage was partly driven by a desire to disprove detractors.
During their initial encounter, Cheryl was confronting childhood traumas and entangled in an unhappy marriage. Seeking solace, she journeyed to Kenya on the advice of a mate from her church choir, searching for tranquillity.
She found, however, that the relationship merely offered a brief respite instead of a real cure.
She conceded: "The biggest regret of all was the impact on my children. Daniel tried, but he couldn't be the father they needed. They missed out on having a stable male figure."
Cheryl has since made peace with her history and maintains robust bonds with her four offspring: Steve, aged 43, Tommy at 41, Chloe who is 34, and Mitsi, the youngest at 27. She praises Mitsi as "the one good thing" that emerged from her time with Daniel.
In spite of the psychological toll, Cheryl declares she harbours no aspirations to wed again, stating firmly, "Three marriages were enough," and branding them a "hat-trick of disasters."
This mum cautions anyone swept up in a holiday romance to "be careful" lest it becomes something you "regretting it for the rest of your life".
On another note, Daniel has chosen to stay in the UK post-split and now earns his living at a supermarket on the Isle of Wight.