Legendary astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, who would have celebrated his 82nd birthday today, was known worldwide. He popularized science and even appeared in a youth sitcom about scientists, undoubtedly inspiring many young people to pursue careers in science. And how many fell in love with astrophysics thanks to his books!
Stephen’s personal life was no less complex than his theories. Unsuccessful marriages, broken families, accusations of abuse, and obsessive followers all surrounded Hawking, who passed away at the age of 76.
In 1963, Stephen Hawking’s life changed forever—this was the year he met his future wife and the mother of his two children at a New Year’s party, and shortly afterward, he received the devastating diagnosis of motor neuron disease.
Within two years of meeting Jane Wilde, the couple married and started a family. They had three children: Robert, born in 1967; their daughter Lucy, born in 1970; and nine years later, their third child, Timothy.
Wilde said that problems began when Hawking started gaining worldwide fame after the publication of A Brief History of Time. His landmark work not only received positive reviews but also attracted significant fan attention.
“I felt more that the family was left behind. For me, Stephen was my husband and the father of my children; you don’t tell a man, ‘Oh, you’re so smart! I must worship the ground you walk on—or, in this case, your wheelchair.’”
The marriage fell apart. Hawking began a relationship with his nurse, Elaine Mason. Referring to his relationship with Mason, Wilde said that the people around Hawking were “draining” her, and “…the situation worsened significantly when we finally had to hire caregivers.”
She told The Times: “I expected the nurses to come home to help care for a disabled person and respect the rest of the family. Very few of them did. I was desperate; I didn’t think I could go on because I was so exhausted.”
Hawking and Mason married in 1995, a year after his divorce. But not everything was smooth. The second marriage caused friction with Hawking’s children, who accused their stepmother of restricting access to their famous father.
Further tension arose in 2003 when Hawking’s nurses accused Mason of physically abusing him and reported the incident to the police. The police investigation was closed after Hawking denied the allegations.
After 11 years of marriage, Mason filed for divorce in 2006. Rumors immediately surfaced that Hawking had been unfaithful—claims he strongly denied—and his team issued an official statement:
“He’s too busy. It’s just a distraction, and it really irritates him. We don’t have time for it. We are not interested in any gossip being spread here.”
Before the couple announced their breakup, and at the height of the abuse accusations, Lucy Hawking told Vanity Fair that she hoped her stepmother would “choke on the money” she would inherit if her father died.
In 2004, Wilde revealed that she, Hawking, and their children barely communicated.
“I saw him. Of course, I never set foot in his house—it’s very much a forbidden area. But I would visit his office, and we had a good time talking about the kids, then about William, our grandson. But I don’t even know now whether he is in the hospital or at home. The children don’t know either. So that’s where we are.”
After divorcing Mason, things improved sharply. Wilde said she began communicating with Hawking again after his second divorce and even appeared with him in front of the world’s media on the red carpet when The Theory of Everything premiered in London.
However, neither Wilde nor Mason publicly commented on his death—the Hawking children announced it.
“He once said, ‘The universe wouldn’t be much of a universe if it didn’t have a place for the people you love.’ We will mourn him forever.”
