Lizzie Cundy is determined to put a ‘horrible’ 2019 behind her and focus on the positives
Lizzie Cundy has told of the terrifying moment her love rival stormed an OK! photoshoot she was posing for and screamed abuse at her as she sat by an outdoor pool holding a glass of champagne.
The WAG, 50, was a picture of sophistication wearing a floaty pale pink dress as she tried to recreate a photo taken of Faye Dunaway’s 1977 Oscar celebration pose at her nightclub tycoon boyfriend Jeremy Gordeno’s £5million Hampshire mansion.
Suddenly the TV star’s serenity was shattered when Gordeno’s former fiancée Candice Hodge, 40, burst in and ran towards her calling her ‘a f***ing c***’ and a ‘f***ing whore’.
Speaking to MailOnline for the first time since facing Ms Hodge in court yesterday where he nemesis was given a two-year restraining order for her outburst, Ms Cundy recalled: ‘I was sat by the swimming pool when I heard a voice manically screaming and swearing at me.
‘I looked up to my left and saw a woman. I had never met Candice before. She then stormed towards me, completely out of control. I thought she was holding something in her hand. I thought it was a knife,’ she said.
Ms Hodge, who had entered the pool area from a large side garden, was held back by Mr Gordeno, who began remonstrating with her to calm down.
The 50-year-old WAG was posing for a photoshoot at her then-boyfriend Jeremy Gordeno’s £5million mansion in Hampshire (above) when love rival Candice Hodge burst in and ruined it
Ms Cundy said Ms Hodge approached her as she sat by the swimming pool holding a champagne glass and screamed obscenities at her. Ms Cundy posted this photo afterwards on Twitter on May 14 and said it had been a ‘wonderful and very eventful shoot’
The bitter dispute between Ms Hodge (left) and Ms Cundy (right) over Gordeno went on for most of last year and ended up in court yesterday as Ms Hodge was given a restraining order
As the two struggled, Ms Cundy’s manager and a make up artist rushed her into the house for her own safety, locking the door behind them to make sure Ms Hodge could not get near her.
‘They took me into the living room and I was just shaking uncontrollably. I couldn’t believe what had happened. It was one of the scariest moments of my life,’ she recalled.
Mr Gordeno’s gardener called the police and also closed the electronic gates at the front of the property to ensure that Ms Hodge could not escape.
Ms Hodge (left) says she is now engaged to Gordeno despite the tycoon having a fling with her daughter Francesca, 21, (right)
However, the incident took a dramatic turn after she broke away from Mr Gordeno as he was attempting to restrain her. She jumped into her car and smashed through the gates, causing extensive damage to them and her vehicle.
Ms Cundy said: ‘By the time the police arrived, she had long gone. It was a horrible incident, one I’ll never forget.’
‘I was scared for my life. I thought Candice was going to attack me because I could see something in her hand. She was gripped by anger and completely out of control.
‘I’m still shocked when I think about it. It was nothing but hateful rage and it left me very upset and stunned. I can’t understand how anyone can behave like this and have so much venom in them.’
For the best part of last year, Ms Cundy had been locked in a feuding love triangle with Ms Hodge, a dog groomer from Surrey, over millionaire tycoon Gordeno, 53.
Ms Hodge had been dating Gordeno for two years and they had got engaged.
But when their relationship broke down, Ms Cundy started dating the businessman.
They were together for ten months last year but separated when Gordeno struck up a friendship with Ms Hodge’s 21-year-old daughter, 32 years his junior.
Pictures emerged of Francesca sitting on the millionaire nightclub boss’s lap in a bar, which were said to have angered both women.
Now, in the latest bizarre twist, Ms Hodge has claimed she is back together with Gordeno after he proposed over Christmas and whisked her away to Antigua to celebrate their engagement.
Ms Cundy dumped Gordeno over his friendship with Francesca and this photo of her sitting on the nightclub entrepreneur’s lap emerged, prompting the TV star to take decisive action
Ms Hodge, Gordeno and her daughter Francesca are pictured together on holiday (left). Despite their 32-year age gap, mother of one Francesca got close to her mother’s boyfriend
Ms Cundy said: ‘Candice mounted an orchestrated hate campaign against me for most of last year. I’m relieved that it’s over and she can’t come anywhere near me or contact me.
‘The first time I knew about her was when she stormed onto the photo shoot. Jeremy was never honest about their relationship and how it had ended.’
Ms Cundy posted this positive message on her Instagram page as she moves on
She said last year was the worst of her life, adding: ‘It was no way to live. I was in constant fear of this woman. Not only did she confront me several times, but I also received hateful messages, emails and phone calls and so did my friends. I’m glad that the court saw the truth and justice has been served.’
She added: ‘I believe in love and in the beginning, Jeremy and I had a lot of love. But honesty is the most important thing in any relationship, if you don’t have that, you don’t have anything.’
She added: ‘I had my heart broken and I’m no longer in contact with Jeremy. It would never have ended well for us with Candice around, we never stood a chance. She was determined that our relationship would not survive.’
Now she says she is looking forward to a ‘brighter future.’
Ms Hodge and Gordeno put the love triangle drama behind them and got engaged over Christmas – and he then whisked her away to Antigua to celebrate New Year together (above)
She said: ‘I’m delighted to have put all this behind me and am moving onwards and upwards to a brighter future. I’ve got my life back on track and have got some exciting television and radio projects coming up.’
For the time being, however, she is determined to put any romantic relationships on hold although she admitted that she is ‘fond’ of somebody.
‘I’m taking a bit of a breather. This whole experience has taken its toll on me but I’m laughing and smiling again.
‘So, I’m going to take my time before I start another relationship. For now, my focus is on me, my family and friends. The old Lizzie is back, which is wonderful.’