Ozzy Osbourne's secret first wife that he 'put through hell' before falling for Sharon

Daily Mirror

7 days ago

Ozzy Osbourne, who has died at the age of 76, married his first wife Thelma Riley in the late 1960s but their relationship was marked by his early fame, substance abuse, and family strain
Before Ozzy Osbourne became the 'Prince of Darkness' and a global rock icon, he was married to Thelma Riley, his first wife and the mother of two of his children.
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The rocker, who had sadly died at the age of 76, first met Thelma in the late 1960s when she was working as a teacher and Ozzy was still trying to establish himself in the music world. They married in 1971, during the early days of Black Sabbath's rise to fame, and before Ozzy fell head over heels for his second wife, Sharon Osbourne.
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Together, they had two children, Jessica and Louis, and Ozzy also adopted Thelma's son from a previous relationship, who is called Elliot.
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However, Ozzy had openly admitted in interviews that he was far from an ideal husband or father during the period of time he was in a marriage with Thelma. His escalating fame, along with heavy drinking and drug use, led to a chaotic and unstable home life.
In his autobiography, Ozzy referred to their marriage as a 'mistake', admitting he wasn't present and was consumed by his addictions. The couple eventually divorced in 1982 and Ozzy later expressed regret about how he treated Thelma and his children, acknowledging that his lifestyle at the time was destructive.
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While Thelma has remained largely out of the spotlight, her time with Ozzy marks a turbulent but significant chapter in his early personal life. Following the breakdown of his marriage with Thelma, Ozzy soon set his sights on Sharon.
Sharon first met Ozzy when her father was the manager of Black Sabbath. The pair began dating in 1979 after Ozzy was kicked out of the rock band, with Sharon taking on the role of his manager.
The couple tied the knot in Maui, Hawaii, in 1982, but were rocked in 2016 when it was reported Ozzy had been having a four-year affair with a hair stylist. They briefly split and the Black Sabbath star entered rehab for sex addiction.
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Sharon and Ozzy reunited by the end of the summer in 2016 and they went on to renew their vows in May 2017. They share three children, daughters Aimée and Kelly, and son Jack.
Celebrity Big Brother icon Sharon previously revealed that she took an overdose after finding out her husband had cheated on her in 2016. The TV star 72, revealed she was left heartbroken after learning of the Black Sabbath star's affair with hairdresser Michelle Pugh.
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The fling reportedly took place over four years between 2012 and 2016. Sharon previously shared her devastating reaction to the affair during her Sharon Osbourne: Cut the Crap show in London. The mother-of-three said she struggled to cope with the devastating news of Ozzy's infidelity and decided to end their 34-year marriage.
After trying to end her life over the heartbreak by taking an array of pills, Sharon later forgave Ozzy for his affair a number of months later. Since then, she has stuck by the rocker and has continued to support and nurse him through several major health woes, including his almost debilitating Parkinson's diagnosis, which he received in 2020.
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Last year while speaking to Loose Women's Jane Moore, Sharon said of the affair: 'He always, always had groupies and I was so used to that. But when he knows the name of the person, where they live and where they work... it is a whole different thing as you are emotionally invested.
Speaking about her overdose after finding out about the devastating affair, Sharon said on the show: "I took, I don't know how many pills. I just thought 'My kids are older, they are fine and can take care of themselves'. So I took an overdose and locked myself in the bedroom. The maid tried to come in to clean room and saw me."