Who is Sara Keays? Meet Cecil Parkinson’s former secretary and the truth behind A Very British Sex Scandal
MANY people have heard of the affair between Sara Keays and Cecil Parkinson.
The scandal engulfed the political world in the 1980s, but who is Sara?
Who is Sara Keays?
Sara Keays first entered the limelight when she became the personal secretary of Conservative politician Cecil Parkinson.
She was born on June 1, 1947
She was involved in a 12 year affair scandal with her boss - with the pair going onto have a child together.
At the time she denied she had tried to trick the MP into marriage.
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When did Cecil Parkinson have an affair with Sara Keays?
Cecil and Sara's affair is thought to have started in the early 1970s.
Their relationship went on for 12 years before it came out publicly and Sara fell pregnant with their daughter.
Parkinson resigned over the scandal with his former secretary in October 1983.
Sara published a statement in The Times newspaper at the time to "put the record straight".
She said: "I told him that while I accepted the fact he was not going to marry me, I could not deny my baby his right to know the identity of his father.
"My baby was conceived in a long-standing, loving relationship which I had allowed to continue because I believed in an eventual marriage."
If he loved me, he would want to see me and be in my everyday life. I think my father has behaved very badly towards me
Flora Keays
Sara said that Parkinson proposed to her twice but changed his mind both times.
Parkinson managed to save his marriage with his wife Ann Mary Jarvis.
They already had three daughters - Mary, Emma and Joanna.
Parkinson returned to government in 1987.
Who is Cecil Parkinson and Sara Keays' child, Flora?
Parkinson and Sara's child Flora was born on New Year's Eve 1983.
After court orders to protect her privacy until she was 18 she appeared on Channel 4 in January 2002 saying she missed knowing her father.
She said: "If he loved me, he would want to see me and be in my everyday life. I think my father has behaved very badly towards me."
What happened to Cecil Parkinson and Sara Keays' child, Flora?
Flora suffered epileptic fits as a child and at the age of four had surgery to remove a brain tumour.
Due to having her right frontal lobe removed she was left with serious social and learning difficulties.
She also has Asperger's syndrome.
Parkinson never denied that Flora was his daughter but the two have never met.
How to watch A Very British Sex Scandal: The Love Child and The Secretary
A Very British Sex Scandal: The Love Child And The Secretary will air on TV on May 1, 2024.
It will be on from 9pm on Channel 5.
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The programme will delve into the details of the affair between Sara and Parkinson.
If you miss the documentary it will be available to watch on My5 after it has aired.
Cecil Parkinson career timeline
CECIL Parkinson was born on September 1, 1931.
He did national service in the Royal Air Force from 1950 to 1952 before entering politics as a Conservative.
June 1970 - failed to win a seat in the General Election in Northampton
November 1970 - won by-election in Enfield West
February 1974 - became MP for South Hertfordshire in the General Election
May 1979 - held his seat in the General Election and was made junior trade minister under Margaret Thatcher
September 1981 - appointed Chairman of the Conservative Party and Paymaster General, becoming part of the Cabinet
April 1982 - was named Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
June 1983 - won the seat for newly created Hertsmere in the General Election
June 1983 - was made Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
October 1983 - resigned from Cabinet over news of his affair but remained an MP
June 1987 - held on to his Hertsmere seat in the General Election with an increased majority
June 1987 - appointed Secretary of State for Energy after four years on the back benches
July 1989 - moved to Secretary of State for Transport
April 1992 - retired from politics at the General Election
June 1992 - was made Baron Parkinson, of Carnforth, in the County of Lancashire
June 1997 - returned to politics as Chairman of the Conservative Party under William Hague
June 1998 - retired for a second time
Parkinson passed away on January 22, 2016.