Freddie Starr's daughter 'embarrassed' he is her father
Tara Coleman-Starr has said she is ‘embarrassed’ to be Freddie Starr’s daughter, and claims she won’t grieve for the late comic, who died last week.
Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Coleman-Starr claimed her father was abusive and manipulative towards her and her mother, Trudy, who met Starr in 1994. The 22-year-old said: “No one wants to believe their dad is an evil, manipulative man.
"He never gave me a birthday present or Christmas card. He never tried to be a father.
“I don’t think he’s capable of love. I’m embarrassed to be his daughter.”
Starr was a hugely successful comic between the 1970s and 1990s, but his later years were filled with health issues and controversy.
Coleman-Starr said: “As a performer he was amazing. I understand why people loved him. But that was a persona.
“He was two different people. On stage funny and a great comedian – off stage, selfish and violent. Me and my mum saw the real person.”
Starr proposed to Coleman while he was in the process of divorcing second wife, Sandy, mother to three of his six children. He was apparently unhappy when she fell pregnant in 1998. Coleman-Starr said: “He punched my mum in the stomach and told her he was going to leave her if she didn’t abort me.
“He didn’t want competition for mum’s affection,” she said
Read more: Russ Abbot leads tributes to comedian Freddie Starr
“He showed me interest as a baby and played happy families. But he quickly got bored.
“Mum found out he was cheating on her - she had a lightbulb moment and felt she didn’t want to put me through what she had gone through.
"He turned around and told her he wanted nothing to do with me. He was so aggressive she was scared I was in danger, so she packed up her bags and left.”
The dog groomer, who lives in Solihull with her mum, added: “I always thought it was my fault he’d left. I could never understand why he didn’t want me. That’s very tough for a little girl.”
