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Edwina takes Vanessa for spin

by Paul Thompson
23/ 7/2008

CONTROVERSIAL former MP Edwina Currie has found a novel way to avoid the smoking ban on holiday – a motor home bought in Glossop.

She and her ‘dedicated smoker’ husband John Jones splashed out at Glossop Caravans, Brookfield, to get around the increasing lack of smoke-friendly getaways.

Edwina has a daughter, Debbie, who lives in Glossop, and they spend a lot of time there.They looked at a selection of camper vans before seeing the one’, a used Benimar Anthus they named Vanessa.

Talking to the Advertiser from inside Vanessa while relaxing in France, Edwina said the vehicle stood out, and seemed to say: "I’m yours!"

She added: "It cost £20,000, and it’s 10 years years old".Salesman John Phythian, who sealed the deal, said she Edwina did not live up to her scary reputation.

He said: "She was lovely, very nice and friendly. She wasn’t fiercely haggling. And there’s no hard sell here, so we chatted about the American elections. Edwina said Obama would be the better one to win because he would be better in arguments with the Republicans."

One of Edwina’s first holidaying tasks was unblocking the shower.

"Without my specs and stark naked, I found a screwdriver and set about trying to unblock the plug – all the while, I soon discovered, in full view of a child staring at me from the caravan next door," she said.

In the light of the credit crunch and fears of global warming, Edwina believes she made the right decision.

She said: "We have been cheap, green – and John can smoke with impunity."

Edwina describes Glossop as ‘very nice’.  Edwina famously had a four-year affair with John Major in the eighties. She has appeared on reality-television programmes such as Wife Swap and Hell’s Kitchen.