LONDON, England -- She was the most unobtrusive member of The Beatles entourage. Shyly lurking in the wings at TV studios and at New York's Carnegie Hall, she seemed simply to melt away at the first curious inquiry.
Yet -- seldom noticed -- she was always there.
Her name -- Mrs. John (Cynthia) Lennon, the first and, as yet, only Mrs. Beatle. She has in fact, been Mrs. Beatle since August, 1962. Now, with her husband riding the crest of the wave, Cynthia has become a kind of shadow in his life, avoiding the spotlight, not only because of her aversion to it, but also the direction of the publicity agents who dictate The Beatles' every action.
Reverting to the taboos of the thirties, when many movie stars dared not reveal their marriages for fear of losing their popularity with romantic fans, The Beatles' advisers felt that the less said about the women in their charges' lives the better.
For this reason, The Beatles are never seen out with girls and never discuss their girlfriends. Indeed, their lives at the moment are so restricted and so busy, the atmosphere is hardly right for romance.
The only comment any of them have made about girls is a firm, "We like 'em." Since this was a phrase that embraced all their fans, it was considered permissible.
On their U.S. tour The Beatles, who incidently boast more press clippings weekly than do the Royal family, left a trail of broken teenage hearts from New York, through diplomatic Washington, on to Miami.
Slim, blonde Cynthia Lennon met John several years ago when they were both at the Liverpool College of Art, before The Beatles became famous.
They now have an eight-months-old baby, John.
"The fans know we are married and that we have a child," Cynthia said. "Some write to John about the baby -- they call him a "Baby Beatle" -- but they ignore the fact that I exist."
When they were first married, they lived in Allerton, Liverpool. Life became most unbearable as soon as The Beatles started to become famous.
-End of Article. Copyright by the Ottawa Journal, 1964.