His first wife , Roberta , was killed in the Brighton hotel bombing in October 1984 and he was trapped in rubble for seven hours , suffering serious crush injuries to his legs . The couple had two children . Wakeham married his secretary , Alison Ward MBE in 1985 and they have a son of their own . Before being Wakeham 's secretary , Ward had been Margaret Thatcher 's secretary
Brighton hotel bombing
Brighton hotel bombing
John Wakeham