Paris Fury: ‘Times have been tough with Tyson – but I couldn’t walk away’

They have battled through heartbreaking child loss, depression and career dramas – but Paris Fury tells Closer why she could never be without her Gypsy King boxing legend hubby

tyson paris fury

by Olivia Buxton |
Updated on

When Tyson Fury reclaimed his world heavyweight champion title earlier this month – securing himself a place in history as the best boxer in the world – his wife Paris was by his side to celebrate with him.

She was snapped beaming as they partied with other family members – including his brother and Love Island star Tommy – after Tyson’s victory over his biggest rival, American Deontay Wilder, in Las Vegas.

But despite their solid marriage – celebrating their 13th anniversary next month – not everything has been smooth sailing for the couple.

The pair have endured his attempted suicide, a brief marital split, and the agony of child loss.

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At one point, he was nearly 28st ©Getty Images

Just two months ago, the pair – who share children Venezuela, 13, Prince John James, nine, Prince Tyson II, five, Valencia, three, and Prince Adonis Amaziah, two – were thrown another battle when their newborn daughter Athena died for three minutes just hours after birth.

The tiny baby was born with a life-threatening heart condition and was thankfully resuscitated by doctors at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool.

Reliving the nightmare when she speaks to Closer, Paris says she is still haunted by it.

“I can only count my blessings that Athena is still here with us and alive today,” she says, her voice trembling with emotion. “I thank God for putting doctors – or miracle workers as I like to call them – on this earth to help everybody.

“She is improving day by day and it’s onwards and upwards from now on.”

Athena, who is now back home and healthy, was later diagnosed with tachycardia – a medical term for a heart rate of over 100 beats per minute, which can starve your organs and tissues of oxygen.

But for Paris – who is a regular panellist on ITV’s Loose Women – it’s not the only trauma she has endured as a mother. In 2014, the 31 year old fell pregnant with their third child, but tragically miscarried at five months – meaning she had to proceed with the delivery.

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35 celebrity couples we forgot about SLIDER

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1. Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson

Jennifer and Owen dated for a short time in 2008 after filming Marley & Me together.

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2. Sandra Bullock and Matthew Mcconaughey

Sandra Bullock and Matthew Mcconaughey became a couple after starring in A Time To Kill together. Despite the fact they looked SUPER CUTE together with their matching glossy curls, their relationship lasted less than two years.

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3. Seal and Tyra Banks

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4. Johnny Depp and Kate Moss

We don't want to be dramatic, but Kate Moss and Johnny Depp were probably the hottest couple OF ALL TIME.

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Johnny Depp and Kate Moss

Seriously, just look at them. That hair! Those cheekbones! PHWOAR!

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Johnny Depp and Kate Moss

The couple met in 1994 - when Johnny was 31 and Kate was just 20 - and dated for four years and were reportedly even engaged.

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5. Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal

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Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal

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Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal

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8. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Gosling

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9. Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger

Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin were married for nine years and have one child - Ireland Baldwin - together. Sadly, their relationship ended in a bitter divorce in 2002.

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Long before Blake was ultimate #CoupleGoals with hubby Ryan Reynolds, she made Gossip Girl fans' dreams come true by dating her GG co-star Penn Badgley. Sadly the couple broke everyone's hearts by splitting up three years later, but we think we can all agree it was for the greater good.

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11. Natalie Portman and Moby

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12. Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson

Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson's relationship may have been short (it only lasted about a year), but it had HUGE ramifications - mainly because Ted was married at the time and his affair with Whoopi resulted in his second divorce. Gulp.

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13. Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt

Can we all just take a moment to remember just how great Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt were together. Look - they even had matching hair! The couple, who were together from 1994 - 1997 met when Gwynnie was just 24, and were even engaged. Talking about the relationship years later, Oscar winner Gwyneth admitted: "I f----- that up, Brad!" REGRETS!

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14. Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck

Who do you possibly date if you've just broken up with Brad Pitt? Well, if you're Gwyneth Paltrow, that answer's Ben Affleck. The couple dated on and off till 2000.

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Kim Kardashian and Nick Cannon

And look, here they are posing with a topless woman who's carrying a snake. Good times!

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17. Ashton Kutcher and January Jones

Before we all knew her as Betty Draper in Mad Men, January Jones dated Ashton Kutcher. The couple dated from 1998 - 2001, but sadly, despite the fact they look seriously happy in this snap, it turns out Ashton was a bit of a jerk. Talking to GQ in 2009, January admitted: "He was not supportive of my acting... He was like, 'I don't think you're going to be good at this."

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20. Madonna and Sean Penn

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J-Lo has had some hot, and seriously famous, O/H's (hiya Diddy, Marc Anthony, Ben Affleck!), but did you know she briefly dated actor Wesley Snipes in the mid-90s? No, neither did we!

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and Alanis Morissette

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Nicole Kidman and Lenny Kravitz

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Sarah Jessica Parker and Robert Downey Jr.

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Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake

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She says, “Tyson was distraught, but still managed to be my rock throughout, squeezing my hand when I was in the hospital bed, stroking my forehead, telling me over and over again how much he and the kids loved me.

“Even as he sank deeper into his own despair, he summoned the strength to do something that, to this day, still amazes me.

“Tyson was insistent that the baby should be laid to rest and, having discussed the situation with the doctors, he took the little body away.

“He found a wooden box and buried the baby in a secluded spot in his father’s garden, before saying a few prayers, shedding a few tears, and laying down a stone to mark the resting place.

“Initially, I’d wanted to attend this private burial, but Mam persuaded me to stay away. She was worried it would be too traumatic for me, given the fragile state I was in both physically and emotionally. I felt so sad not to be there but now, in hindsight, I think it was a sensible decision for me.”

Paris met Tyson, known as the Gypsy King, 33, at a mutual friend’s wedding when she was 15 and he was 17, and the pair – both from traveller families – married three years later, in 2008.

But there was heartbreak for Paris when, in 2014, she and Tyson briefly split, and he had a fling with 25-year-old single mum Baillie Mansell. Two months later, Tyson realised he’d made a mistake and went back to Paris.

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He’s back to being fighting fit now ©Shutterstock

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By this time, the 6ft 7 fighter was already being recognised as one of the world’s greatest. After beating Wladimir Klitschko in December 2015 to become the heavyweight champion of the world, he began to feel the pressure, and spiralled into a deep depression that made him see demons, hear voices, go on drink and drug binges for days, and saw his weight balloon from 18st to 28st.

It came to a head when he nearly drove off a bridge in 2016 – but it was thinking of his children that stopped him at the last moment and ultimately saved his life.

“Times have been tough with Tyson, and that was the lowest point for me,” says Paris. “I was pregnant most of the time during his personal depression and there were points when I said to friends, ‘I just can’t take this any more.’ But ultimately, the reason why I didn’t walk away – and couldn’t walk away – was the fact that l love Tyson and that’s what has kept us together all this time.

“If I had left, the only person he was going to damage was himself and he would have crashed and burned. I didn’t want that to happen.”

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After winning the fight earlier this month ©Getty Images

While the rest of the world wrote off his boxing career – he was stripped of his International Boxing Federation title and relinquished his belts – Paris chose to stay.

“Anyone with mental health issues needs help and I wanted to support him and we’ve obviously come out on top,” she confesses.

“I knew, in my heart, Tyson would come back and get back into boxing. I knew he would get well again. What kept me there is the fact that I love that man.”

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Next month, the couple celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary and Paris reveals Tyson is a real romantic at heart.

She says, “There are times when we can’t be together, like when Tyson was training in America recently and we were apart for weeks. He always makes up for it when he’s back.

“On one occasion, he booked a hotel for the weekend and lit candles and scattered rose petals on the bed. It was back in the day when you had to buy a CD player and he got the Boyz II Men CD, which had our favourite track, End Of The Road. He is quite a romantic – despite his job!”

Love and Fury: The Magic And Mayhem Of Life With Tyson by Paris Fury is out now

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