Michael Pattemore went on This Morning to talk about his legal battle with late wife Lynda Bellingham’s two sons over money that was left in her Will.
Lynda died in 2014 from bowel cancer at the age of 66 and was known in her later years as a presenter on Loose Women.
For the past 18 months her widower Michael Pattemore has been embroiled in a dispute with her sons from a previous marriage about who is entitled to how much of Lynda’s money.
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Although Michael seemed visibly upset and said he has dealt with “18 months of hell” from the legal battle, This Morning viewers weren’t buying into his side of the story and have branded him “sleazy”.
Lynda’s sons came on This Morning just over a year ago to give their side of the story where they accused Michael, 61, of spending their mother’s money on things like holidays, while they claimed to only receive £750 each from her estate that was reportedly worth millions.
They also claimed that although the Will was valid and she had indeed left everything to her husband, they say she “may have been under heavy medication” when putting her Will together.
But when Michael came onto the show today to defend himself, he said Lynda didn’t have millions, she was in fact £50,000 in debt and the rest of her money was tied up in property.
He said: “What the boys never told the nation was, in my Will they got left the first million plus a quarter share of the remainder of the properties when they were sold, so they could have walked away with probably a couple of million pound at the end of the day.”
In her Will Lynda left everything to Michael on the basis that he would then provide for her sons. He said: “Their first email to my lawyer was that mum would have wanted a roof over their heads – I gave them one.”
When Ruth pushed for some clarification and asked exactly what Lynda wanted to happen, according to her Will, Michael said: “She specifically wanted that I leave them the first million and then divide the rest up between our four children.” Lynda had her two sons from a previous marriage, and Michael also had two children before he met Lynda.
When addressing why her sons weren’t involved in decisions regarding the Will, as they claimed on This Morning in 2016, Michael responded: “Why should they be? Let’s be fair what goes on behind closed doors with a married couple it’s their business.”
Eamon tried to weigh up the argument by pointing out: “You could also argue that blood’s thicker than water.”
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This Morning viewers didn’t warm up to Michael, with some branding him “sleazy” and “cold”. One tweeted: “There’s something about Michael Pattemore that just doesn’t ring true-he’s a bit smug & sleazy somehow.”
Another tweeted: “There is something sleazy and cold about that guy. I do not trust him. Give the kids what they deserve.”
To finish off the interview Michael gave an emotional statement: “I’ve been dragged into this, I never asked for this. I would have looked after the boys and I mean that from the bottom of heart.”
When asked what he would say to his stepsons if they’re watching the show, he said: “I think they’ve been stupid; we could have sorted something out.”