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Show caused our split, says Wife Swap’s Paul

16/ 5/2006

ONE half of the latest Rochdale 'Wife Swap' couple has spoken about his experience on the Channel Four reality show.

Twenty-seven-year-old Paul Beresford, of Wardle Edge, took part in the programme, which made Lizzy and Mark Bardsley infamous, with his partner Sharon Williams, aged 36 and her children - James, Leon and Olivia.

Paul was portrayed on the show as being 'walked all over' by Sharon's streetwise children, who didn't take too kindly to his love of dancing and hen-pecked by his outspoken girlfriend.

Sharon, who swapped lives with a Norfolk mother-of-four for nine days, helped to salvage the relationship between Karen Jones and her regimental husband Brian.

But a week after 'Wife Swap' was filmed in January Paul and Sharon, who met at a town centre nightclub 18 months ago, split up.

Paul says the show was the catalyst for the break-up.

But he has no regrets about his 'eye-opening' experience.

He said: "We applied to go on 'Wife Swap' in October because the kids watched it and they wanted to go on it.

"I was worried how the programme would portray me but I didn't find it that bad.

"I have now moved back in with my mum and dad and I watched the show with them. They have been very supportive."

Paul enjoys ballroom, Latin, sequence, old time and country and western dancing and he goes to a dance school once a week.

Viewers saw him take Sharon's children Latin dancing, on the condition that he would adopt a more 'street' look, with patterns shaved into his hair.

He said: "The children didn't like the way I dress. They said they would come dancing with me if I had my hair done how they wanted.

"I also wore a blue tracksuit, which wasn't my style and the kids got to keep that after the show."

Paul and Sharon were the third Rochdale couple to feature on 'Wife Swap', after Liz and Peter Hughes from Littleborough and the Bardsleys from Milnrow in 2003.

Paul added: "I was aware that comparisons might be drawn.

"But the programme makers were not keen to have just another couple from Rochdale.

"They interviewed us and assessed if we were right for the programme.

"And the programme turned out to be more about the children."