EXCLUSIVE: THATCH MY GIRL
EXCLUSIVE She's NOT a singleton ..she's living with me right here, says skier Marco
From Alexandra Williams In Klosters, Switzerland
SKI instructor Marco Grass yesterday revealed that "singleton" Carol Thatcher is his girlfriend.
Hunky Marco, 38, said he had been pining for his soulmate.
And he has been glued to the TV just to hear Carol's voice since she left for Australia. He said: "I'm really proud of her."
Carol, 52, had told her jungle mates that she was "happy being a singleton" and was past her "sell-by date".
But Swiss former ice hockey star Marco has been in her life for the past 12 years. They share an apartment in upmarket ski resort Klosters in Switzerland.
He said: "People who know us know what is happening. We are still living together.
"But it is something private. It is between Carol and me.
"I certainly do miss her when I can't see her on the box.
"This morning I was eating breakfast before I went off skiing and I left the TV running and I heard Carol doing the washing.
"I heard her giving some tips and speaking about what she was doing and it was like she was next door. So that was nice.
"I spoke to Carol before she went in to the jungle, before her phone was taken away.
"She said the moment she comes out she is going to let me know what her plans are."
Carol has had several public and difficult love affairs - including with disgraced former Tory minister Jonathan Aitken.
But then Marco came on the scene. At first she pretended he was her lodger but they bought a place in Klosters and their secret was out. Supportive Marco helped Carol prepare for the jungle. He said she also trained with Andy McNab and SAS soldiers.
Marco said: "We did a lot of mountain biking in the summer and we talked about how important it is to be a team player.
"We talked about when I played hockey in Davos as part of a team. We looked at that and talked about being a team member. She is a good team player.
"Whenever we go for dinner or to a party she is not different."
Marco said of Carol, 8/11 odds on to win I'm A Celebrity: "I am keeping my fingers crossed." He said his lover, nicknamed Iron Lady Junior after her mum Lady Thatcher, has many qualities. He said: "We talked a lot about the show before she left. It's like she wants to come out.
"A lot of people do not know what Carol is like. They see her political, intellectual side. Everybody thinks it's a case of like mother-like-daughter. But this is far from the true Carol.
"Mark is very much like Lady T and Carol is very much like her father. Carol is a very funny, witty person. She is very smart."
As for her weeing in the bush, Marco said: "I don't think she'll be embarrassed because it's not like she has the facilities of the five-star Ritz Hotel."
Mirror
