Britain’s most married man is engaged for a ninth time (oh, and he’s still married)

 Ron Sheppard holds the dubious title of Britain’s most married man.

He has, in order, wedded Margaret, Jeanette, Lesley, Kathy, Sue, Usha, Wan and Weng.Separately, of course, and over a 50-year period. But that, we don’t need to tell you, is a lot of wives.

Mr Sheppard is now getting married again, and the lucky lady is Cristel Marquez, a Filipina call worker a paltry 40 years younger than him.

The pair met online more than a decade ago when Cristel, 27, was still a teenager, but it wasn’t until this New Year’s Eve (and after wife #8 Weng called an end to their 11-year marriage) that Mr Sheppard popped the question.

‘When I proposed I did get down on one knee – I managed to do it,’ he said.