Christine Keeler

British party girl who had a short and sporty stint with the Rolls Royce and caviar crowd in 1963. She was noted for sharing her affections and her bed with both Russian Captain Eugene Ivanov, and British M.P. John Profumo. The ensuing scandal ruined Profumo's career and helped topple the Conservative government of Harold Macmillan.

Christine was a war baby whose dad left for the Army. Her mother took up with a man whom Christine called Dad and they lived in a poorly converted railway carriage on the edge of a gravel pit in Berkshire. By 11 and 12, she was babysitting for neighbour kids when she first became familiar with adult male abuse. "The fathers," she said, "If they got me alone, would try to kiss and fondle me. I hated it." She developed an intense fear of her stepfather, avoiding him with a suspicion that never was overtly justified. She said that from the time she was 13, she never spoke to him or remained alone with him.

At 16, Keeler became pregnant by a local boy. She tried to hide the fact and to abort her baby with a pen - with castor oil - gin and hot baths, unsuccessfully. When her secret came out her step dad confined her to her room for months. She had a premature labor in her own bed, making no sound for fear her step dad would hear. The baby boy was taken from her and died later in a hospital. In their village, her unmarried mother’s living arrangement and her own teenage pregnancy insured them a place of disrespect, if not shame. After the baby, she left home.

Christine was a beautiful child-woman at 17. She was working as a topless dancer when she was "discovered" by Dr. Stephen Ward, a flashy name-dropping society osteopath whose client-list included royalty and movie stars. As a sideline to celebrity back-cracking, Ward, 46, provided comely, willing companions for his wellborn friends. She trusted Ward and they had a caring relationship and she said that, although he called her his little alley cat, they never became lovers.