Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Sam Elliott

Inside Beth Chapman and Dog the Bounty Hunter's complex but adoring love story

The showbiz world is in mourning for after she lost her long and brave battle with cancer.

The wife of Dog The Bounty Hunter had been placed in a medically induced coma on Saturday but never woke up .

News of her passing has saddened millions and tributes have flooded in since Dog, whose real name is Duane Chapman, broke the tragic news.

He wrote on twitter on Wednesday: "It’s 5:32 in Hawaii, this is the time she would wake up to go hike Koko Head mountain. Only today, she hiked the stairway to heaven.

"We all love you, Beth. See you on the other side."

They had only been married since 2006 but actually their romance begun over 30 years ago.

They actually first met 33 years ago (Getty Images)
Daughter Bonnie remembers her brave mum (Twitter)

Since they met in 1986, they dated a number of times but didn't make a real go of things for quite a while.

Dog made Beth his fifth wife. He was previously married to La Fonda Sue Honeycutt, Lyssa Rae Brittain, Anne Tengell and Tawny Marie.

He acknowledged in his book You Can Run But You Can’t Hide - which was published ten years ago - that things were nowhere near perfect.

After all, she married his former best friend Keith Barmore back in 1991.

"When I heard they got married, I got physically sick," he said. He then claimed: "Friends told me he was abusing her something awful."

Duane and Beth were very much in love (Jim Smeal/BEI/BEI/Shutterstock)

But Dog and Beth continued to see each other. They just couldn't keep away and eventually they divorced their partners and make a go of it together.

In 2006 they got married, but tragedy arrived a day before when his eldest daughter Barbara died in a car accident in Alaska.

They told guests of the 23-year-old's death at he reception after making the tough decision not to postpone.

A&E reality series Dog the Bounty Hunter was getting big - but the strain of making their names was starting to show.

In 2012 Beth opened up on camera and it drew more questions about their relationship.

"My husband is a sweet personality," she said. "The problem is when that Dog guy comes around. He's nasty, he's aggressive. He doesn't have a wife."

They had their ups and downs but their love was clear (REUTERS)

The pair battled on and when she was struck down by cancer the arguments stopped.

"She has told me repeatedly that if these are her last days on Earth she wants to spend every moment with me on the hunt, living life to the fullest and enjoying the time we have left together," he said.

"The best part of my job is having her by my side on every journey. I can't imagine a day without her and think deep down inside she is always concerned for my safety because she wants the security of knowing I come home to her every night."

They had their ups and downs, good times and bad.

But one thing is absolutely certain - their love for each other wasn't in doubt for a second.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.