Paula Williamson death: Charles Bronson’s ex-wife found dead aged 38

Charles Bronson’s ex-wife and Paula Williamson has been found dead, aged 38.

The ex-Coronation Street actress was found at her house in the Sneyd Green area of Stoke-on-Trent this morning, police confirmed.

Police said the death is not being treated as suspicious and a postmortem will now take place. 

Miss Williamson married to Britain’s most violent prisoner at HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire in November 2017, with Bronson handcuffed to the warder for two-hours during the ceremony.

But their relationship quickly fell apart and Bronson, 66, was left outraged by a photograph of the actress with a man’s head in her breasts on holiday in Tenerife.

The couple had their marriage annulled in June.

Miss Williamson had previously starred in Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and Emmerdale, before she met Bronson in prison in 2016.

Williamson was married to notorious prisoner Charles Bronson. The couple were betrothed in 2017, but the relationship quickly fell apart

Staffordshire Police today confirmed Paula Williamson (pictured) had died and her body had been found at a house in the Sneyd Green area of Stoke-on-Trent

Charles Bronson when she was Charles Bronson’s fiance in 2017, trying on her wedding dress

A police statement said: ‘A woman from Stoke-on-Trent who was found dead this morning has been named as Paula Williamson, aged 38.

‘Paula’s body was found in a house on Gordon Avenue, Sneyd Green, at around 7am.

‘A post mortem will take place to establish the cause of death but the death is not being treated as suspicious.

‘A report is now being prepared for the coroners.’

Speaking about the relationship with Bronson in June this year, Miss Williamson previously said: ‘It’s sad. It’s never nice and I have been left with absolutely nothing. I have lost all my work because I married this man as well as family and friends.

 ‘I don’t believe in mistakes or regrets. Everything happens for a reason. I tried my very best for him and we will remain friends.’

She added: ‘If I wanted to raise my profile I wouldn’t go about it by marrying Britain’s most notorious prisoner. That would destroy my career – and it has done.’

The marriage was never consummated, and unions in England and Wales are allowed to be annulled if newlyweds have not had sex since tying the knot.

Paul Williamson (pictured left) has been found dead at a house in Stoke-on-Trent. She married Charles Bronson (pictured in his younger days) in 2017 at a prison chapel

Bronson, 66, was left outraged by a photograph of the actress with a man’s head in her breasts on holiday in Tenerife, and the couple were due to have their marriage annulled

Miss Williamson therefore applied for the marriage to be annulled on those grounds and Bronson, who is now at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes, agreed.

Bronson is one of the country’s most notorious prisoners and has spent the majority of the past four decades imprisoned for a series of violent crimes.

In recent years he has turned his hand to art and changed his surname from Bronson to Salvador in tribute to the Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali.

He first struck up a relationship with Miss Williamson, who also had roles in Emmerdale and Hollyoaks, in 2013 after they started writing to one another.

Bronson had previously said he wanted to have children with Miss Williamson, claiming he would be the ‘best dad in the world’.

He was first locked up for armed robbery in 1974, but during his time inside he has taken hostages in ten prison sieges and attacked at least 20 prison officers.

Last November he was cleared of trying to seriously harm a prison governor after being accused of threatening to gouge the man’s eyes out at HMP Wakefield.