Resigned "love affair" vicar looks to a new future (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Resigned "love affair" vicar looks to a new future

THE north Cotswold vicar who resigned following his love affair with a late rock superstar's girlfriend is moving to France to run a guest house.

The Rev Colin Wilson, 40, has ended his ministry to move with his family to a property they have bought near Cognac.

His alleged affair was with Lisa Pritchett-Johnson, girlfriend of Stow-on-the-Wold's John Entwistle, bass player with legendary rock band, The Who.

Mr Entwistle died of a heart attack while taking cocaine with a dancer at a hotel in Las Vegas, USA, last year.

Mr Wilson was Rector of the parishes of Broadwell, Evenlode, Oddington, Adlestrop, Icomb, Bledington and Westcote, all near Stow.

His affair allegedly began when he offered Miss Pritchett-Johnson counselling after conducting Mr Entwistle's funeral at Stow.

Suffering a mental breakdown, he spent three weeks in a psychiatric hospital near Windsor.

Archdeacon Hedley Ringrose, Archdeacon of Cheltenham, and the Right Rev John Went, Bishop of Tewkesbury, asked him to resign for bringing 'the Gospel into disrepute'.

Miss Pritchett-Johnson denied there was anything physical between her and the vicar and

insisted they were just "good friends."

However, the pair were photographed kissing outside a pub.

He returned to wife, Gillian, and their daughters Rebecca, eight, and Ellie, six, and they lived at Broadwell Rectory.

A 120-strong congregation attended Mr Wilson's farewell service at St Edward's Church, Evenlode.

He said: "In order to live well, we must have faith to live by.

"From the cradle to the grave, life is an adventure.

"When we stumble and fall, the real sin is not to get back up again."

After the service, he added: "You either go into the future with the past behind you or you remain in the past with the future in front of you.

"We're moving to France to look forward to a new future."

Parishioner, Franscesa Donnington, said: "He is really a lovely bloke and we'll miss him terribly."

Fellow parishioner, Michaela Hurcombe, who was married by Mr Wilson, said: "Whatever he has done, Reverend Wilson deserves a second chance."

A woman neighbour revealed he lived in a rented house at Oddington before returning to his family in July.

She said: "He's a decent bloke.

"He is always asking me things like how I am and if I want my plants watering."