Antonia de Sancha
Encyclopedia
Antonia de Sancha is an actress and businesswoman known to have had an affair with British Conservative
Member of Parliament
and Cabinet member
David Mellor
in 1992. The affair led to Mellor's resignation from the cabinet on 24 September 1992.
Although she studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
, at the time of the scandal de Sancha was described by some news outlets as a "soft-porn actress" because she had played the part of a prostitute in a film in which she had simulated sex. The film "The Pieman" also featured John Hemming-Clark, leader of political party Independents to Save Queen Mary's Hospital, as de Sancha's husband.
Believing her acting career was ruined and aware that newspapers were making money out of the story and she wasn't, de Sancha hired publicist Max Clifford
to sell her story to various newspapers. She made about £30,000 from those sales.
The furore that followed publication left her deeply unhappy. "It was emotional rape," de Sancha told an interviewer ten years after the scandal referring to the bugging
of her flat which led to the affair being made public. She has had scarcely any work as an actress since the scandal, and considers the scandal as the reason a subsequent marriage failed.
She was the subject of an instalment of the Discovery Channel
documentary series The Mistress in 2002.
De Sancha now runs an Indian textiles importing business in Portobello Road
, Kensington
, west London
.
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and Cabinet member
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
David Mellor
David Mellor
David John Mellor, QC is a British politician, non-practising barrister, broadcaster, journalist and football pundit. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet of Prime Minister John Major as Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Secretary of State for National Heritage , before...
in 1992. The affair led to Mellor's resignation from the cabinet on 24 September 1992.
Although she studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
, at the time of the scandal de Sancha was described by some news outlets as a "soft-porn actress" because she had played the part of a prostitute in a film in which she had simulated sex. The film "The Pieman" also featured John Hemming-Clark, leader of political party Independents to Save Queen Mary's Hospital, as de Sancha's husband.
Believing her acting career was ruined and aware that newspapers were making money out of the story and she wasn't, de Sancha hired publicist Max Clifford
Max Clifford
Maxwell Frank Clifford is an English publicist, considered the highest-profile and best-known publicist in the United Kingdom...
to sell her story to various newspapers. She made about £30,000 from those sales.
The furore that followed publication left her deeply unhappy. "It was emotional rape," de Sancha told an interviewer ten years after the scandal referring to the bugging
Covert listening device
A covert listening device, more commonly known as a bug or a wire, is usually a combination of a miniature radio transmitter with a microphone. The use of bugs, called bugging, is a common technique in surveillance, espionage and in police investigations.A bug does not have to be a device...
of her flat which led to the affair being made public. She has had scarcely any work as an actress since the scandal, and considers the scandal as the reason a subsequent marriage failed.
She was the subject of an instalment of the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
documentary series The Mistress in 2002.
De Sancha now runs an Indian textiles importing business in Portobello Road
Portobello Road
Portobello Road is a street in the Notting Hill district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in west London, England. It runs almost the length of Notting Hill from south to north, roughly parallel with Ladbroke Grove. On Saturdays it is home to Portobello Road Market, one of London's...
, Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.