MP 'intervened in Cheeky Girl case'
Lembit Opik with his new love Gabriela Irimia
Also In The News
|
Charlton Athletic's dismal season stumbled to a new low with a 1-0 defeat to Wycombe Wanderers that saw the League Two side advance to the last four of the Carling Cup. |  |
Wednesday, 20, Dec 2006 03:46
Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Opik intervened over threats to deport his Romanian girlfriend, the Cheeky Girls singer Gabriela Irimia, it has been revealed.
Gabriela and her sister Monica have been working in the UK since 2001, but are reported to have faced the possibility of deportation in August this year.
A spokesman for the Liberal Democrats confirmed that Mr Opik had spoken to the immigration minister Liam Byrne about the issue in a corridor but insisted that the procedure was completely above board.
The politician also passed on information about the matter to the girls' constituency MP, Michael Foster.
"Lembit acted with total propriety with regard to this matter," the spokesman said. "He did what any MP would do, and referred the matter to the appropriate member of parliament."
It emerged at the weekend that Mr Opik had separated from his fiancee, the weather girl Sian Lloyd, "some time ago" and that he had recently begun seeing cheeky girl Gabriela.
According to the News of the World, Lloyd has dubbed the affair as "something out of a pantomime".
The Cheeky Girls rose to 'fame' with appearances on TV talent shows and through their hit We Are The Cheeky Girls (Touch My Bum).