THE ex-wife of tragic Diff'rent Strokes actor Gary Coleman told last night of his final moments - and insisted: I did NOT kill him.
Shannon Price, 24, has been plagued by rumours she murdered the 4ft 8in former child star to get her hands on his multi-million pension fund.
She told The Sun: "I know the truth and Gary knows the truth. Unfortunately we are the only ones who do - and he's now dead."
Gary and Shannon's Wedding Picture
Gary, 42, died after hitting his head in a mystery fall at their home in
Salt Lake City, Utah, a month ago.
Suspicions have grown because the pair had a history of bust-ups and Shannon was the ONLY other person in the house.
Two days later she had his life support
SWITCHED OFF by medics who were unaware they had secretly divorced two years ago.
It then emerged Shannon had gone against legal documents the pair signed agreeing the actor would be
KEPT ALIVE for as long as possible if he ever fell into a coma.
Flame-haired Shannon - who is disputing a 2005 will leaving everything to Gary's ex-lover
Anna Gray - said:
"I know that people think I killed him, but they weren't there.
"They say I pushed him, but I was upstairs. How can I push somebody when I'm 100ft away?
"A lot of people are saying I'm not emotional, but what do you want me to do - run around the streets screaming?"
After his fall Gary - whose growth was stunted by congenital kidney disease and who remained beset by poor health - was lucid for around 24 hours.
Shannon said she rang him the night before he died. She revealed: "I said, 'I love you, I'm here for you, you are the best thing in my life. You are my light.' I said, 'If you need anything just tell me.'
"He didn't say much. He kept handing the phone to the nurse because his head hurt so much he couldn't deal with the pain."
The next day she returned to his bedside. She recalled: "Right before I pulled the plug I cried for an hour.
"I said, 'I hope you can hear me, I love you, I'm sorry for our disagreements in the past and I never meant to hurt you'."
Describing how she knew the end was in sight for the fragile star, she added: "We pricked his finger - and Gary hated to be pricked. He hated needles.
"There was no movement and I knew then that he was gone."
Shannon showed The Sun intimate snaps of their time together but admitted their relationship had been stormy. Gary was once jailed after a violent row. He won a restraining order against Shannon three months before his death, but never served it.
Shannon and Gary In Happier Times
She confessed: "
We had a few problems with police over physical abuse. Gary was suicidal at some points. One time he attacked me and I pressed charges and he went to jail.
"There are couples that are a lot worse than Gary and I. He went to jail for a night. So what? I went to jail too for a domestic violence charges between Gary and I. I'm not perfect either.
"He was strong for a guy of his stature. He got mad one day and threw a printer across the room like it was nothing. It was scary. He was set off quite easily."
Shannon said Gary was miserable and friendless after his brief spell on the
Hollywood A-list in the 1980s which saw him earn - and eventually lose - around
£12million as Arnold in the hit sitcom.
Gary as Arnold Drummond
She went on: "
He had a lot of insecurities and trust issues.
"He told me that after the first few years he wanted to quit, but he was making so much money he couldn't.
"When he was 17 he was promised he could get out of the business if he wanted to, but in the end they didn't let him."
She continued:
"I was his first romantic relationship. Knowing how big a star he is it makes me feel really special.
"The first few years were really, really great but the last few were a bit rough.
"Income was really, really hard and he was in and out of hospital. He felt he couldn't make me happy. A lot of people are saying they were there for him but no one ever came to see him.
"
He was told he didn't have a year to live. He had major heart surgery in November - that changed his mood. It was really difficult."
Shannon said she deserved Gary's assets. She claims she has a will from 2006, but it was never signed.
She also faces a fight to collect train buff Gary's ashes from his cremation.
She wants to scatter some at the
Golden Spike - the place at
Promontory Summit, Utah, where two huge railways were joined to create the first coast-to-coast line in 1869.
Shannon added: "
I also want to keep some with me - so he's always close."
Source:
The Sun
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