Christine Hamilton

Christine Hamilton (born Mary Christine Holman, 10 November 1949) is an English television personality and author, and the wife of former British Member of Parliament Neil Hamilton who was Minister for Corporate Affairs between 1992-1994.

She is most famous for her defence of the allegations of corruption and 'cash for questions' made against her husband whilst he was an MP. The failure of their attempt to sue Mohamed Al-Fayed led to the former MP going bankrupt.

After many years working as secretary to various MPs, first Wilfred Proudfoot, then Gerald Nabarro and latterly her husband – she came to wider public attention when she confronted her husband's opponent Martin Bell on Knutsford Heath during the 1997 general election campaign. After the election, Christine and Neil Hamilton appeared together on Have I Got News For You, an appearance that established her as a chat-show personality and she subsequently appeared on myriad programmes including her own 'Christine Hamilton Show' on BBC Choice where she interviewed celebrities who had 'been through stormy waters' of some kind, ranging from Jonathan Aitken to James Hewitt, from Bernard Manning to Ivana Trump, and from Paul Merson to John Fashanu. She appeared in the first reality television programme, I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2002, coming third. In 1999, she was on the front-page of The Sun when she was snapped kissing young Conservative Will Goodhand at an Oxford University Conservative Association dinner.

Along with her husband, Christine Hamilton was arrested in May 2001 by police investigating an alleged rape that was quickly found to be entirely false. Hamilton described the experience as ".. ghastly and humiliating" and said, "The whole thing is just nonsense on stilts." Their accuser was later imprisoned for attempting to pervert the course of justice. The police made a full apology.

She has published The Book of British Battleaxes. She writes many articles for various newspapers and magazines.

Christine was the first woman to take the role of 'Narrator' in the Rocky Horror Show during its 30th Anniversary tour, appeared in pantomime at Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford as "Bossy Fair Battleaxe" in Jack & the Beanstalk, toured her One-Woman Show 'Share an Evening with Christine Hamilton', and appeared several times in The Vagina Monologues, including in the West End at Wyndhams Theatre. In 2005 Hamilton became the first 'Face of British Sausage Week', touring the UK in a quest to promote the ever popular British banger. Christine Hamilton and her husband have also had a very popular show at the Edinburgh Festival in recent years. In summer 2010, she appeared in Celebrity Masterchef, reaching the final alongside Dick Strawbridge and eventual winner Lisa Faulkner.

She is renowned for her conference and after-dinner speeches which she gives to audiences ranging from all-male business groups to the Ladies Who Lunch. Her autobiography For Better For Worse was published in 2005. In April 1997 Daily Mail columnist Lynda Lee Potter said of her:

"Christine has the courage of the early Christian martyrs. With more women like her Britain would never have lost the Empire."

She tweets as @brit_battleaxe.

TV

• GMTV (2001-2005) ...... Herself - Discussion Contributor
• Countdown (2003) ...... Herself - Dictionary Corner Assistant
• Loose Women (2004, 2011) ..... Herself - Guest Panellist
• This Week (2005-)..... Herself - Discussion Contributor/Reporter
• The Alan Titchmarsh Show (2007-2011)..... Herself - Discussion Contributor
• This Morning (2009—)..... Herself - Occasional Newspaper Reviewer
• The Wright Stuff (2012-) ..... Herself - Panellist