- Chris Lewis, 68, of London, is suing his ex-wife Nicola, 48, for deception
- TV boss believed Charlie, 19, was his and paid maintenance after divorce
- But two years ago a devastating DNA test revealed he was not the father
- Mr Lewis believes teenager was born out of affair months after his wedding
By
Jack Crone: A top
television producer is suing his ex-wife for more than £300,000,
claiming that she lied to him about being the father of her son.
Chris
Lewis, 68, has brought the unusual court case against 48-year-old
former wife Nicola over the child he helped raise as his own for 17
years.
In
court documents he claims Mrs Lewis had sex with another man only a few
months into their marriage, but did not tell him. She had a child –
Charlie, now 19 – as a result but led him to believe the boy was his, he
argues.
DNA tests
now prove that Charlie is not his biological son, he says, and as a
result of the deception he suffered loss and damages – and wants
compensation totalling £322,400.
The
claim, made in documents before the High Court in London, says that the
pair married in October 1994 and that Mrs Lewis gave birth to Charlie
in March 1996. The couple separated in May 1999.
Although
Charlie subsequently lived with his mother, Mr Lewis says he ‘would see
him regularly and make financial contributions towards his maintenance
and advancement’.
He
claims that his ex-wife continued to lead him to believe that he was
the boy’s biological father and he was recorded as such on the birth
certificate.
He was
discussed as being the father in the course of the couple’s divorce,
with Mrs Lewis signing ‘statements of truth maintaining that was the
case’.
Everything changed in April 2013, however, shortly after Charlie’s 17th birthday, when both he and Mr Lewis had DNA tests.
They are said to have proven beyond doubt that Mr Lewis was not the boy’s father.
The
court documents claim that Mrs Lewis’s repeated assertions that her
ex-husband was the father of her child ‘were made fraudulently’ with her
‘knowing them to be false or not caring whether they were true or
false’. Mr Lewis’s lawyers say that Mrs Lewis ‘had sexual intercourse
with David Alderson or an unknown person which resulted in the
conception of Charlie in or around May or June 1995’.
They add:
‘On no occasion during the parties’ marriage did Mrs Lewis inform Mr
Lewis that she had had sexual intercourse with another person/persons.
‘She
knew that Mr Lewis was not the biological father of Charlie, or was
reckless as to whether he was the biological father, or did not believe
he was the biological father.
‘By reason of her deceit and misrepresentations, Mr Lewis has suffered loss and damage, and claims damages plus interest.’
Mr
Lewis was for decades one of the BBC’s leading sports producers,
masterminding footage of every Olympic Games since 1972 as well as
working on coverage of ten football World Cups. Since leaving the BBC in
2006, he has specialised in equestrian sports.
He
is understood to have taken Charlie to equestrian events at the London
2012 Olympics, which his TV company Chris Lewis Media was filming, a few
months before he discovered he was not the boy’s father.
Speaking
about the court case, Mr Lewis, of Twickenham, South West London, said:
‘It’s been a very hurtful time for all parties.’
Mrs Lewis lives in a £1.2million house in Shepperton, Surrey, and is a company director of a fireplace shop.
She
told the Daily Mail last night: ‘I haven’t even looked at the document
from court, and I can’t say anything because it’s in the hands of my
solicitors.’
David
Alderson, 59, of Cobham, Surrey, who is alleged to be a former lover of
Mrs Lewis and the possible father of her child, was unavailable for
comment last night.
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