John the Naughty Husband

"Do you mean to say I might be missing something? I hope I grow out of being so sex mad. Sex is the only physical exercise I bother with."

John, 1966

Here we go again, another cringe-worthy post about John's infidelity. I am also going to include some rumored girls because it is part of the story as many believe it happened. To be fair and reasonable here, John wasn't the only Beatle who cheated. Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr each have a long list of conquests in their own rights. However, I am only singling out John because this is, after all, a blog about John and Cynthia. I don't like the fact that they all cheated, but if I swore and cut off The Beatles out of my life because of their infidelities… Do you know how many musicians, actors, sport figures have cheated? I wouldn't have anything to like! Paul claimed to have an open relationship with Jane but I have wondered if she knew that? As she broke up with Paul the very moment she caught him in bed with Francie Schwartz. Some women retaliated, like both Maureen Starkey and Pattie Harrison. I do think that Maureen turned to George as she unspokenly knew Ringo was cheating on her, plus his drinking was getting heavily. While Pattie grew worn down by George's infidelities (Maureen wasn't the only one), she has turn to both Ronnie Wood and Eric Clapton, who successfully wooed her away from George. See? Everyone screwed up. The wives and girlfriends knew something was up- they weren't stupid or idiotic, although one would think that. But without evidence to back it up (as long as no one gets pregnant), they turn a blind eye and comfort themselves that it is they who their significant other return to until enough is enough. Weirdly enough, John saw himself "faithful" to his wife, Cynthia.

"Seriously, is there more homosexuality in England than elsewhere?" (Interview, February 1965. Note: this interview have been edited down to get to John's marriage reference)

"Right. Take Profumo, for example. He's just an ordinary..." Paul McCartney

"...sex maniac." Ringo Starr

"...just an ordinary fellow who sleeps with women. Yet it's adultery in the eyes of the law, and it's an international incident. But in actual fact, if you check up on the statistics, you find that there are hardly any married men who've been completely faithful to their wives." Paul McCartney

"I have! Listen, Beatle people..." John

"Alright, we all know John's spotless. But when a thing like that gets into the newspapers, everybody goes very, very Puritan, and they pretend that they don't know what sex is about." Paul McCartney

"Still, there was no question that John Lennon had edge written all over him, and it often grated others. As we walked down the steps of the Beatles’ plane at the airport in Minneapolis on August 21, 1965, a print reporter came up to John to ask him a question, her face only inches away from his. I didn’t hear her remark, but I will never forget the response. John slapped her in the face and moved quickly toward the car. Approaching the limo, I asked him, 'What was that all about?' Before I could blink, he answered, 'None of your fucking business.' Technically, he was right, but I’ve always had solidarity with my fellow reporters and was especially curious. Slapping a reporter because you don’t like their attitude is not something I would advise or endorse. Later on in the hallway at the Leamington Motor Court in downtown Minneapolis, I chided him again about the slapping episode. He said, 'The slut asked me if I was faithful to my wife.' I replied jokingly, "Instead of slapping her, why didn’t you say ‘no’ and have a laugh over it?' He didn’t answer, but a bit of a smile curled on the edges of his lips, a silent message that he knew he had screwed up. Still, being the year 1965, that particular reporter was light years ahead of her peers in her extremely audacious line of questioning. Lennon’s extreme reaction to her (while unfortunately physical) simply proved that he was willing to dish out more than he would take. And it never mattered who was doing the dishing."

Larry Kane

Apparently John got offended by that question! I wonder if the female journalist in question saw John doing something he shouldn't? Or knew one of his groupies? Where's the female journalist now? But if John had said no, it would be a lie and John knew exactly that.

Patricia Inder

Patricia Inder

Patricia Inder 1943

Born in Liverpool, she was a regular at the Cavern and saw The Beatles at other gigs. I have written about Patricia in greater detail in another post called John the Cheating Boyfriend, including a bit of a conclusion. However since then, I found another book/website that Patricia did go to Hamburg in late 1962 during their final residency. She is like the gift that keeps on giving… she claimed they made out but didn't go any further than that until they were back in Liverpool. They carried on until Patricia could no longer carry on and John got busier. They didn't see each other again until 1965 when the Beatles performed in London. Patricia came backstage while John combed his hair. When he saw her, John called her the love of his life, swinging her in his arms while kissing her. That was the last time she saw him. Patricia later worked as a Nanny and is now a singer for The Blues Kitchen. Patricia was briefly involved with Lemmy Kilmister and had a son, Paul. Lives in London.

Ida Holly

Ida Holly

Ida Holly August 5, 1946 - June 20, 2013

Ida, or Stevie for nickname, was a disc jockey from Liverpool at the Majestic Ballroom before moving to London in 1965 as a freelance assistant and publicist. She encountered The Beatles often and started to date John in February of 1963 for several months. Many close friends thought John and Cynthia broke up while Ida wasn't aware that John was married as it was kept secret. Ida has insisted that she and John did not sleep together. When her father found out about the marriage, John claimed it was just a piece of paper. Ida broke up with John immediately after. Ida moved to London, becoming a muse for Lionel Bart and had a relationship with a woman named Janet. Ida lived in Marbella, Spain until her death in 2013.

I give Ida credit: once she discovered John was married, Ida dumped his ass. I respect her for that.

"We presumed he'd broken up with Cynthia and had got a new girlfriend."

Bill Harry

The Beatles with the Vernons Girls: Jean Owen (on Paul), Maureen Kennedy (on George), and Frances Lea (on John), 1963

Maureen Kennedy

Ann Maureen Kennedy July 3, 1940 - 1970

Maureen was in a singing group the Vernons Girls. She toured with The Beatles from November 1 until December 23, 1963.

Maureen married Michael Hope in 1965 until her death in a car crash in 1970. They had two children.

Sonnie Freeman, 1964

Photographed by Robert Freeman

Sonnie Freeman

Sonnhild Spielhagen Freeman Drane March 13, 1939 - May 21, 2013

Sonnie was born on to Wolfgang and Eva Spielhagen in Berlin, Germany. She was a model and married to Robert Freeman, a photographer who worked with The Beatles with their album covers from 1963 until 1965, their promotional photo sessions- including the cover of John's two books, In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works. When John revealed plans to move his family to London from Liverpool, Bob told John about a vacant apartment above his. The Lennons soon moved in and became friends with Sonnie. It didn't take long for John and Sonnie to begin their affair, both of them sneaking away from their spouses at any chance they got. In the Summer of 1964, John, Cynthia, and Julian moved to Weybridge- Bob and Sonnie were frequent visitors along with their children Janine and Dean, who were around the same age as Julian. In Spring of 1965, Bob and Sonnie accompanied The Beatles, Cynthia, Maureen Starkey, and Pattie Boyd to Austria for the filming of Help! It's well believed that John's song Norwegian Wood was written for Sonnie and their affair while making the lyrics illusioned so that Cynthia wouldn't suspect anything going on. However, that same year, Bob and Sonnie came to Weybridge to talk to John, alone; Bob was angry and Sonnie was crying. They soon left while John went to his home recording studio, only shrugging his shoulders when Cynthia asked what was going on. Cynthia soon discovered that Bob and Sonnie were divorcing and had that gut feeling that John was involved… but she had no proof. After their divorce, Sonnie remarried to John Drane and was a mother of Janine, Dean, Leah, Lucian, and Suki. Sonnie died in London.

The Beatles with Maureen Cleave in 1963

Maureen Cleave

Maureen Cleave October 20, 1935

Maureen was born in Mussoorie, India before moving to Ireland and then England. She was a journalist for The Evening Standard since 1959; she met The Beatles in 1963. Maureen was at the airport when The Beatles and Cynthia departed to America in 1964.  In 1966, she conducted an interview with John in his Weybridge home when he stated that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus, which created a controversial uproar in America. Some of John's friends suspected that he had an affair with Maureen; however, she always denied it, saying her encounters with John were always professional and he never made a pass at her. Maureen last saw John during his infamous interview. That same year, Maureen got engaged and eventually married.

John and Alma Cogan, 1964 

Alma Cogan

Alma Angela Cogan May 19, 1932 - October 26, 1966

Alma was born on to Mark and Fay Cogan in London. Alma was a very popular singer of the 1950s but was deemed too old-fashioned and out of date while John was in college, making fun of her. When John eventually met Alma, he was smitten and soon they were anonymously checking in hotels for their affair, not only from Cynthia but from her strict mother. Alma would host ravishing grand parties in her apartment, which Cynthia attended. While Cynthia had no proof of an affair between John and Alma other than a gut feeling, she did take notice of their encounters and chemistry. The affair ended around 1965; Alma became engaged to Brian Morris in 1966 before her death.

Jenny Kee sitting next to John in the press room in Sydney on July 1, 1964

Jenny Kee

Jennifer Margaret Kee January 24, 1947

Jenny was born in Australia. When The Beatles toured Sydney, Australia in 1964, Jenny and her friends snuck into their hotel to meet the band and joined in on their party. She ended up in bed with him. She also slept with Keith Richards and Eric Clapton. In 1965, Jenny moved to London to become a fashion designer and married Michael Ramsden until their divorce in 1986; they had a daughter, Grace. She only saw John once in London while he was out with Cynthia at the Speakeasy club where he recognized her. Jenny moved back to Australia and dated Danton Hughes from 1990 until he committed suicide in 2002. Jenny currently lives in Sydney, Australia.

"He'd never been with an Asian girl before, so what can I say? He chose me. He said: 'I've never been with an Asian girl before'. Sleeping with John Lennon was a fantastic thing."

Jenny Kee, 2006

"Looking back on that really cool, sexy young guy, John Lennon--I just feel so privileged that I could spend that one night with him because the rapport was genuine.  That is what will live with me forever because I think he was one of the greatest men in the world. Lennon was a total inspiration, I was a very naive young girl. He set me on a path that opened my eyes to what my creativity could really be, because it certainly wasn't happening where I was going to design school in Sydney. It was so dead and dull … The fact I got to have a night with him was a bonus.''

Jenny Kee, 2012

Ronnie Spector

Ronnie Spector

Veronica Yvette Bennett August 10, 1943

Ronnie was born to Louis and Beatrice Bennett in Spanish Harlem, New York City, New York. With sister Estelle and cousin Nedra Talley, they formed a singing group The Ronettes, moving to California. Ronnie started to date their producer, Phil Spector. Ronnie met The Beatles in England in January of 1964 and again in New York City later that year during their second American tour; there was a moment where John and Ronnie were alone and started to be intimate but stopped before anything happened- they didn't sleep together. However, Ronnie was excluded from touring with The Ronettes, opening for The Beatles in 1966 with another cousin, Elaine Mayes, replacing her. Ronnie was married to Phil from 1968 until divorcing in 1974 after suffering from physical and mental domestic abuse and isolation; they had adopted three boys: Donte, Gary, and Louis. Ronnie remarried to Jonathan Greenfield in 1982 and had two boys, Austin and Jason. After her divorce from Phil, Ronnie resurrected her singing career and currently lives in Connecticut.

"I was 18, and I didn’t know John was married. John and George came and picked us up at the Strand Palace Hotel in London. They said to my mom, 'Mrs. Bennett, would you like to go out with us to dinner?' I thought she would say, 'Oh, you kids go out and have fun.' But she said, 'Let me get my purse!' George and John almost passed out. After dinner, my mom took the hint and got in a cab. The rest of us went to the Crazy Elephant club and John said, 'Ronnie, sing a bit of ‘Be My Baby’ in my ear.'"

Ronnie Spector, 2016

“John took me into a room to show me the beautiful lights over London. I said, ‘Wow, it’s so beautiful.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, you are.’ I was young then, and I was seeing Phil. I didn’t want to kiss other guys and stuff, I just dug my feet into the carpet: ‘We gotta go downstairs, John!’”

Ronnie Spector, 2018

"He was so nice and polite. He’d take me to clubs, and he took me to Carnaby Street to get all the t-shirts. We didn’t know what was in London, so John was all, ‘Don’t worry, Ronnie: I will take you.’ And then at night they’d take us to clubs. I remember one night I was with John and he said, ‘Ronnie, sing a little bit of “Be My Baby” in my ear.’ So I went, ‘Be my little baby!’ And he almost passed out. I can’t sing low, I had to go all out. It blew his mind.”

Ronnie Spector, 2018

Jayne Mansfield and John at The Whiskey A Go-Go in Los Angeles, California in 1964

Jayne Mansfield

Vera Jayne Palmer April 19, 1933 - June 29, 1967

Jayne was born to Herbert and Vera Palmer in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. After her father's death, Vera and Jayne moved to Texas where Vera remarried. After getting married with a child, Jayne eventually moved to California to be an actress as she wanted to be since childhood. After her divorce from Paul Mansfield, Jayne remarried to Mickey Hargitay and enjoyed her success. However, by 1964 until 1967, Jayne's career was on a downslide, working on plays, low budget movies, and performing at seedy clubs. The Beatles were in Los Angeles and wanted to meet her; she came to their housing and the next day, they went to The Whiskey A Go-Go with photographers present. On the ride there, John and Jayne were kissing; when leaving the nightclub, they held hands. After her divorce from Mickey, Jayne remarried and divorced to Matt Cimber and was a mother of five children: Jayne Marie, Mickey Jr., Zoltan, Mariska, and Tony before her death in a car accident in 1967. Like Julian, Mariska had a brief appearance in the movie Leaving Las Vegas, and is casual friends with Stella McCartney.

"They were making out like kids"

John Wade

"We went to Los Angeles, where we stayed in a big old shady house in Bel Air. Somebody conned us into going to the Whisky A Go Go. It seemed to take us 20 minutes to get from the door to the table and instantly the whole of Hollywood paparazzi descended. It was a total set up by Jayne Mansfield to have pictures taken with us. John and I were sitting either side of her and she had her hands on our legs, by our groins- at least she did on mine."

George Harrison

"John is very ingenious and funny...George is really great. So relaxed and polite. Ringo is adorable, very reserved. He doesn't say a word at all, unless it's something important. Paul and I couldn't meet each other, he lost all the joy..."

Jayne Mansfield

Eleanor Bron and John while filming Help! on location at Ailsa Avenue in Tickenham, London in Spring of 1965

Eleanor Bron

Eleanor Bron March 14, 1938

Eleanor was born in Stanmore, Middlesex, England to Sidney and Mrs. Bron. In 1959, she started acting while in college. During filming of Help! in 1965, John and Eleanor became good friends, often discussing politics and philosophy. Later, John once claimed that he had an affair with Eleanor- which she vehemently denied, stating that he was married and she had a boyfriend at the time. In 1966, Eleanor appeared in Alfie which also starred Jane Asher (they didn't share any scenes together). Eleanor was with Cedric Price for many years until his death in 2003. Eleanor continues to act in movies, television, and stage as well as being an author.

Jackie DeShannon

Jackie DeShannon

Sharon Lee Myers August 21, 1941

Jackie was born in Hazel, Kentucky to James and Sandra Myers. She started singing as a little girl and became a songwriter before branching out as a musician on her own in 1960, changing her name to Jackie DeShannon. She met and opened for The Beatles during the American tour in 1964. She got married to Irving Dain in 1966 but their marriage was annulled the following year; Jackie remarried to Randy Edelman in 1976 and they had a son, Noah. Jackie lives in Beverly Hills, California.

Honestly, there's no confirmation nor denial if John and Jackie had an affair other than suspicion.

William Coleman, Joan Baez, John, and Ira Sandperl in Hollywood Hills, California, August of 1965

Joan Baez

Joan Chandos Baez January 9, 1941

Joan was born to Albert and Joan Baez in Staten Island, New York. Joan is a musician, activist, and author. She had an on and off relationship with Bob Dylan before marrying David Harris in 1968 until their divorce in 1973. She met The Beatles in 1965, even joining them on tour during the last four dates. Joan lives in Woodside, California.

"I traveled with the Beatles for four days on one tour and ended up with John at one point, but we certainly did not have anything…I mean, it was wild times. This was their first or second trip to the States–the second, I think. I was performing in Red Rocks, above Denver, and they were on the next night, so I stayed over. Here I was in this room full of hundreds of people, all scrambling around trying to figure out how they could get to their dressing room, and somebody came up and said, 'The Beatles would like to meet you.' And I just instantly went to jelly. I got to their door trying to think of something clever to say and finally just put out my hand–and one by one they introduced themselves. Now, they had been on the cover of every single newspaper for a month, and they’re going, 'Hullo, I’m George,' and 'Muh name’s Ringo.' I said, 'Yes, yes, I know.' They were terribly funny and terribly sweet, and they invited me to stay on the road for their last three or four concerts. My tour was over, so I went with them––as I think anybody would have. You know, packed everything and whoopty-do, off I went. I saw all the inner workings: how you climb into Volkswagen buses and then send the limousine out to be beaten to death by loving fans. All those things. I was fascinated. Then we ended up in this great big mansion in Los Angeles that somebody had given them. But big as it was, there weren’t really enough master bedrooms for everybody. And poor John was the one who had invited this little Mexican waif along–I don’t know what the hell they thought of me; they thought I was Florence Nightingale because I used to tend to the wounded at their concerts. Anyway, so here we are in the mansion in Los Angeles, and we’ve run out of bedrooms, and they’ve sent their people out to bring in groupies so they can pick who they’re gonna, you know, hang out with. And these poor girls, just sitting downstairs waiting to see whether they’re gonna be picked by somebody––they don’t talk, they don’t even knit. They just sit there in these little outfits that they’ve worked on for months waiting for this thing to happen. And eventually a Beatle will come by and pick one of them and, you know, drag her off to his lair. There was also a hotshot local–somebody there – I didn’t figure out exactly what she was, but she looked like a professional prostitute. Anyhow, John was stuck, having invited me and then not having anywhere to put me. So he offered me his room; it had a bed in it the size of a small swimming pool. I said, 'Well, John, don’t worry, I’m not fussy about these things, you just come in and use the other side of the bed when you’re tired.' I didn’t want him to feel pressured, ’cause I figured they must feel pressured to perform all the time. So I went to sleep, and he came in, in the middle of the night. And I think he felt compelled–, 'Well, I’ve asked her and she is a star and oh, dear,' –and he started coming on to me, very unenthusiastically. I said, 'John, you know, I’m probably as tired as you are, and I don’t want you to feel you have to perform on my behalf.' And he says, 'Oh, luvly! I mean, what a relief! Because you see, well, you might say I’ve already been fooked downstairs.' So we had a good laugh and went to sleep."

Joan Baez, 1983

"It wasn't really a love affair"

Joan Baez, 2018

Nat Weiss's Housekeeper

Unknown

According to Danny Fields (Linda McCartney's good friend), while Paul McCartney and John stayed at Nat Weiss's apartment in New York City for five days in May of 1968, John slept with the housekeeper.

Various Unknown Women

"During the early years when The Beatles were making it big, I led a real bachelor's life, even after Cynthia and I were married. I mean, I knew I had a wife and small child at home, but I didn't want the responsibility. It's like Julian is a semi-orphan and I was, too."

John, 1979

"He was seeing a girl I knew and I was dying to tell her that he was married, but I couldn't because I'd promised not to. I felt torn, it was awful."

Freda Kelly

"From things he said to me over the years and from speaking to girls he'd been with when we were on the road, I would say that nothing excited John as much as the company of females who had plenty of fighting spirit about them and were in control, strong, and dominant. This was very different from the image of himself that John projected when I first met him. In those early days he was asking us to believe that his favourite fantasy was to make love to a fluffy French cinema sex kitten Brigitte Bardot. He even encouraged Cyn to alter her hair and makeup and what she wore in order to appear a bit more like Bardot. John was openly unfaithful and admitted his adultery but Cyn was not stupid and had seen for herself the closeness of John's new relationship with Yoko Ono. She didn't need to have a sordid details spelt out for her. The fantasy may have been Bardot but the reality was Yoko Ono."

Tony Barrow

“Their roadie Mal Evans was a good friend. I met him in LA and asked him then. He would say ‘I’m not going to give any details, but it happened all the time, all pop stars did it’. They’d need women – he’d go out, find the good-looking ones, and bring them up. That was the way it happened.”

Cynthia, 2005

"There wasn’t a lot I could do about it. I’m not a battler or a fighter. I’m a fighter for justice. But, when it comes to emotions, I’m just trying so hard to make things work. I didn’t think John was being unfaithful to the extent that he would leave me . . . I was hanging on to my hollyhocks, I didn’t want to rock the boat at that point. I’m an old fashioned girl with old fashioned ideals and dreams.”

Cynthia, 2005

While in Spain in April of 1963, Brian Epstein and John got together for lunch with a husband and wife pair. Let's just say that John and this wife went to the bathroom (for a shag) before returning to the unsuspecting husband and an amazed yet astonished Brian.

"Brian seemed amazed that John had taken the opportunity for casual, dangerous sex

when he had the lovely Cynthia at home."

Alistair Taylor

"It was never an easy marriage. John slept with hundreds of different women before, during, and after his time with Cynthia. He had not wanted to get married in the first place but had gone along with it when Cynthia announced she was pregnant."

Alistair Taylor

I won't lie: it is bizarrely comforting to know that John also cheated on Yoko…

"But I had blind faith. I couldn't imagine John being involved with another woman. And even if he had, I would have ignored it because he always came back. Whatever John did outside our marriage, he didn't flaunt anything. So when I learned later about the temptations he had succumbed to, I had the satisfaction of knowing he had protected me at the time, just like he had since we first met."

Cynthia, 1985

John eventually confessed to Cynthia about his infidelity, not once but twice. The first time was in 1967 while Cynthia was washing dishes when John came behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and simply told her there were hundreds of other women.

"Strangely, it was a very loving moment. I was in tears, not of anger or shock, but tears of happiness that he could tell me, that we'd once again got close enough for him to get rid of it, talk it through and put it on a different level. Perhaps it would have been better if I'd been able to be a bit more aggressive. But I was so happy that at last he felt he could open his heart and tell me what was on his mind… When John told me he'd had all these affairs, I felt as though we were being brought together again. He'd been leading his life as a musician and pop star and I'd led mine as a wife and mother. Conversation had become very thin on the ground. He was doing so many things I wasn't involved in."

Cynthia, 1985

“No, he didn’t say that he’d slept with hundreds, he said he’d had affairs and that he’d slept with women, not hundreds. I wasn’t that stupid, not to know that when the boys were on the road anything could happen.”

Cynthia, 2005

The second infidelity confession came in 1968 on an airplane from India to England after meditation with the Maharishi and John practically ignored Cynthia during that trip. I don't know what brought John to suddenly pour his cheating heart to Cynthia other than alcohol but she certainly got an earful.

"On the flight back from India, he had gotten very drunk and, for some reason, decided to confess all his affairs to Cynthia. Brutally, he ticked off a very long list, which including groupies, models, prostitutes, the wives and girlfriends of his and Cynthia's friends and, possibly the cruelest of all, Cynthia's own girlfriends. Cynthia felt totally betrayed."

Tony Bramwell

"Well, I'm glad I was naive. I really am. Naivety can be a bonus sometimes. If I'd known what was going on, life would have been much harder for me. I wasn't that naive but I was naive enough, and it saved me a lot of heartache."

Cynthia, 1995

Pattie Boyd, Sonnie Freeman, and Cynthia in Austria while The Beatles filmed Help!

Honestly, out of all those women, the one that really upsets me the most is Sonnie Freeman. She sends chills up and down my spine… I believe it is because out of all these women, they didn't have a close relationship with Cynthia. Sonnie is the only one there that was a neighbor, a travel companion, a home visitor… a fucking friend [pardon my swore but it is my blog…]. The one who got really close. Cynthia did cross paths with Patricia Inder as a club goer; Maureen Cleave, Eleanor Bron, and Alma Cogan were acquaintances (although both Maureen and Eleanor denied having an affair with John, as I previously mentioned). But none of them got as close. I don't know how Sonnie could sit there on the couch with Cynthia day after day knowing full well that she's boinking John on the side, behind her own husband's back? I know it does happen everywhere and anybody, but damn! John really played fire with that one, he risked his marriage that at any time Cynthia could have walked in on him and Sonnie.