The goblin-featured Rolling Stone, Ronnie Wood, has proposed to his beautiful young Brazilian girlfriend, Ana Araujo.
According to her spokesperson, she accepted joyfully, and the couple is planning a summer 2012 wedding in Brazil. The rings for the engaged couple have been entrusted to jeweller Rachel Galley for design.
However, the only issue with this romantic narrative—relayed to this newspaper by her PR last month—is that it isn’t true at all.
Ronnie, who is now free from drugs and alcohol, asserts that he has not made a proposal. There are no wedding plans, and no jeweller has been contacted.
Even taking into account the somewhat tumultuous nature of Wood’s intricate personal life, this discrepancy in events is puzzling.
At 64 years old, Ronnie is generally a friendly and easy-going individual, but he is certainly not the type to be confused about a matter as significant as this—especially since he has recently secured a generous financial arrangement with his ex-wife, Jo.
There is no question that Ana has feelings for Ronnie, and she has even been credited with helping him quit drinking, as she has stood by him through the longest stretch of sobriety he has experienced as an adult.
It has now been 18 months, and he claims he has lost all desire for a drink.
Every time he reaches another 100 days of sobriety, they indulge in a cake together.
However, the motives behind Miss Araujo’s PR enthusiasm in depicting their nearly two-year relationship as an engagement remain uncertain.
Interestingly, those familiar with Miss Araujo suggest that her engagement story is just one among several inaccuracies being circulated about her.
Consider, for instance, the details regarding her profession.
Since she began dating Wood in February 2010, there have been reports claiming she works as a polo instructor at the Ham Polo Club in Surrey.This week, however, the polo manager, Adolfo Casabel, was quite clear on the matter: ‘That’s absolute nonsense!’ he exclaimed.‘She has never worked here. She is a novice at polo and attended some lessons two years ago but hasn’t been around since.’
In fact, a London-based friend of Miss Araujo commented, ‘Ana rides a horse as well as I drive a tractor. It’s all total nonsense. She doesn’t ride well and she didn’t grow up around ponies or anything like that. She comes from a very humble background.’
This sentiment is echoed by her father, Manuel Pinto, 57, who lives with his wife Sonia in a three-room home near Rio and works as a painter and decorator.On the surface, he seems to approve of his daughter’s relationship.
‘We would like to meet him someday. His age doesn’t concern us,’ he shared.
Having left Brazil more than a decade ago, her daughter acknowledges having worked in a sewing factory after leaving school at 16. Her father mentions she also tried selling mobile phones, but found it tedious and underpaid.So what does Miss Araujo fill her days with, and how did she come to be involved with a Rolling Stone?
The surprising revelation about Ana is that she is a divorcee, having been married to a Spanish national. This marriage—explaining her possession of both a Spanish and Brazilian passport—was officially annulled about a year ago, well after her relationship with Wood had developed.
She has acknowledged this early marriage.in an interview with Brazilian Vogue earlier this year, the British media has failed to highlight this fact.
Prior to meeting Ronnie at the 100 Club in London, she was already a familiar face within the nightclub scene of the capital.
A newspaper claimed last year that she had spent four years with the UK Glamour Girls escort agency, but she firmly denies these rumors.
However, at present, it appears that her role is to cater to her boyfriend’s demands.
This summer, during an interview, he disclosed that they don’t actually live together; instead, she can visit his West London flat — when she receives an invitation.
‘I’m on my own really,’ he mentioned. ‘Ana is my girl who comes round, but we meet when I say.’
It seems there is an arrangement between him and Ana where he covers her rent in South Kensington and provides her with a monthly ‘pocket money’ allowance.
A friend of Ana revealed that this amount is $5,000.
In addition, they occasionally shop together, and she sometimes requests his assistance to cover larger expenses.
Much to Ronnie’s amusement, among these expenses are wigs that she has started wearing lately due to her own hair being difficult to manage and needing extensive blow-drying. Good wigs can cost hundreds of pounds, and he has been overheard complaining about her being ‘high maintenance’ and that he is growing ‘fed up with it’.
A close friend of Ronnie shared: ‘Ronnie has always been excessively generous. When he was with Katia, his previous girlfriend, he gifted her 
$50,000 worth of dresses within just a few months.’
‘He even set her up in a flat before they left together and took care of all expenses — rent and bills, everything. That’s just how he operates.’
Ana aspires to establish her own identity, and shortly after getting involved with Ronnie, she joined Select, a modeling agency. However, she has expressed frustration over their inability to secure the big contracts she anticipated.
Besides a feature in Paris Match magazine alongside Wood, her presence has barely been noticed.
A friend remarked: ‘Ana is incredibly ambitious and aims for fame, whether as a model or an actress.’
In her pursuit of visibility, she engages in a life as a socialite within London’s superficial circles.
She and Ronnie frequent various high-profile locations, with Ronnie even seen at the West End’s opening night of Shrek, mingling with well-known figures like dance instructor Louie Spence.
Some long-time acquaintances of his express disbelief at how he now shows up at nearly every PR event.
Just last week, he willingly posed for photos at an event celebrating the 30th anniversary of Only Fools And Horses, while Ana shared with a reporter that she was working with a voice coach, aiming to break into acting.
To another attendee, she confidently claimed to have auditioned for a Bond girl and that she had made it to the final three.
Eon Productions, the filmmakers, have opted not to comment officially but are said to be ‘completely nonplussed’ by these claims. Of course, she…Part of the game involves aspiring actresses discussing their chances, and she is not the first to do so.
It appears that Ronnie, who has been focused on creating a solo album and hosting his radio show, allows her a significant amount of independence.
Perhaps the light-hearted nature of their relationship has led to some intensely jealous arguments, with Ana believing that Ronnie is seeing other women in her absence.
At the beginning of their romance, he was seen visiting the flat rented by Katia — full name Ekaterina Ivanova — the young Russian girl whose affair with him ended his 23-year marriage to Jo.
Ronnie’s spokesperson stated that he and Katia were merely attempting to reconnect as friends, but Ana was so furious that she was reportedly taken to the hospital after a huge fight over it. What she was treated for, if anything, was never disclosed.
A few months later, reports emerged that Ronnie had developed a close friendship with burlesque dancer Fifi La Bombe, known as Melissa Hammond, after meeting her at a bar and enjoying her performances.
He was even spotted visiting Ms. Hammond’s East London flat for a 90-minute private chat one afternoon in June.
No explanation was offered by the star, but it likely upset the notoriously jealous Ana.
A friend of Ana mentioned, “Ronnie and Ana have a strong affection for each other; he believes she is the most beautiful person to have ever existed.”
“Nonetheless, she often erupts in terrible rages due to his considerable attention from other women, and she suspects he is meeting with other girls.”
Well-informed sources indicate that their romance has its ups and downs.
Though it was reported that Ronnie Wood split from Ana in February, the couple was seen together shortly thereafter, appearing to be very happy.
She is convinced their romance is everlasting. In interviews, she has expressed her desire to have a baby in her late 30s — she is currently 32. This is despite the fact that he has three adult children around her age; Jesse, 34, Tyrone, 27, and Leah, 32.
“Ronnie is the love of my life. I’m eager to start a family — it will happen one day because having children is significant to me,” she stated.
Wood remarked last year that Ana was a “good match,” yet those familiar with him assert he has no plans to marry again or have more children.
For starters, he relishes his freedom too much.
“I’ve never been alone since I was 14, so it’s a new experience for me,” he commented this summer.
“Previously, I was always surrounded by relationships and never had my own thoughts. Finally breaking away from those who control you is fantastic. Truly fantastic.”
Moreover, he already has a best friend in his ex-wife Jo. He continues to wear his wedding ring on his right hand.
“Jo saw it a few weeks ago and commented, ‘You still have your wedding ring,’ and I replied, ‘Yes, because you’re my old friend and you always will be.'”
One can only speculate what the lovely Ana Araujo might think about that.
by Harry Harper
