Angie Best
| Angela McDonald Best | |
|---|---|
| Born | Angela Janes 26 July 1952 Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | Angie Best |
| Occupation | Model, former Playboy Bunny |
| Known for | Being the wife of footballer George Best |
| Children | Calum Best (son) |
| Relatives | Samantha Womack (niece) |
Angela MacDonald "Angie" Best (née Janes; born 26 July 1952) is an English model and former Playboy Bunny, probably best known as the first wife of footballer George Best.
Biography
Born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, Angela MacDonald Janes was the elder daughter of Marion (née MacDonald) and Robert William Brough Janes. She has a younger sister, Lynne, and two half-brothers, Michael, from her father's first marriage, and Noel Robert Janus (1949–2009), from a previous relationship of her father. She became a model, and then a "Bunny" at the Playboy Club in London.[1] She was then invited to New York to model, before traveling to Los Angeles, California as a model and physical fitness trainer.
She met George Best at a dinner party in Los Angeles in 1975 when he was signing to play for the Los Angeles Aztecs, and it was "love at first sight". They moved back to London in 1976. When she returned to Los Angeles, George followed and persuaded her to marry him; she did on 24 January 1978. The marriage produced one son Calum in 1981, but they separated the following year and divorced in 1986, Best having had a lot of problems with alcohol abuse and domestic violence.[2]
After relocating to Los Angeles, Best went back full-time to her fitness career, producing and starring in her own workout videos, and starring on television in shows and series for amongst others Sky TV. She also coached and trained celebrity clients, including pop star Cher and actresses Sharon Stone and Daryl Hannah. Latterly she has written a series of books for over 40s women, including one for the menopause called A Change For the Best.[citation needed]
In 2000, writer/director Mary McGuckian produced the poorly reviewed the Best biopic, Best, with Angie Best played by Patsy Kensit. Angie Best said of the film: "I haven't been consulted at all, even though it shows my life." In response, in 2002, Best wrote her autobiography George and Me: My Autobiography, the hook line for which was: "I didn't realise that six years of marriage would last a lifetime." She not only detailed the marriage, but life afterwards where she claimed to have tried to remain in contact with George, offering support and advice to help him conquer his alcohol addiction. Despite everything George put her through, Angie still claimed in the book: "I remain good friends with George. He is the only man I ever loved."[3] Of course the veracity of such claims in a popular biography cannot be ascertained. When George Best died in November 2005, she attended the funeral with a single red rose, and was the only woman at his graveside – second wife Alex Best was isolated by Best's family.
References
External links
- Use British English from January 2013
- Use dmy dates from January 2013
- Pages using infobox person with unknown parameters
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- Articles with unsourced statements from February 2013
- 1952 births
- Living people
- English exercise instructors
- English expatriates in the United States
- English female models
- Footballers' wives and girlfriends
- People from Southend-on-Sea
