Dawn Ward’s desperate rise to fame as she is cleared of racial abuse by two Jewish men

Today marks a fresh start for the The Real Housewives of Cheshire and WAG star dawn ward after a jury found her innocent of racial abuse and possession of cocaine by two Jewish men.

The 48-year-old businesswoman, who once announced Prosecco was doing her “stunt” and lives in a £15million mansion, was accused of swearing at brothers Jake and Sam Jacobs at London’s Euston Station in October 2019.

Ward denied two counts of aggravated racial harassment and one count of cocaine possession, and sobbed when a jury acquitted her of the charges.

Ward, who shares four daughters with the ex-Premier League footballer Ashley Ward She was often involved in fiery drama with her fellow actors during the nearly seven years she starred in the lead role The True Housewives of Cheshire before she left in 2020.

She lives a lifestyle that many would envy, with a movie theater, a hair and nail salon, and a dedicated tanning room on her palatial block.

She has spoken of celebrity pals as Gemma Collins and has worked as an interior designer for soccer power couples like the Rooneys.

But it wasn’t always like that.

Following today’s verdict and the end of an ordeal she described as “three years of hell,” we take a look at the mum’s rise to fame.

At the age of 12, Dawn was working at a fruit and vegetable stand every weekend, getting up at 4am and being home by 10:30pm, The Mirror reported in 2015.

She met Ashley in a pub car park in Bolton while she was working as a model and was earning more than he was at the time.

Dawn recalled: “He was an £80-a-week Man City apprentice … I thought he was fit, we chatted for a bit and then I wanted to make an old friend jealous, so I went on a date with Ashley.

She added: “Five years later he proposed in the same pub car park.”

The couple married in Middleton in 1995.

Dawn always wanted to make her own money and recalls, “As a little girl, I would look at magazines and think, ‘I want this – I want to be successful and have beautiful things.’ As an only child I was very independent – ​​I think you can always get what you want if you are healthy and work hard enough.”

Ashley, 51, and Dawn have started a number of businesses, including an interior design firm, which they started before the sportsman, who performed for a variety of clubs including Manchester City and Leicester, retired from football in 2005.

In addition to Wayne and Coleen, the company has also designed for Steven and Alex Gerrard and Peter and Abby Crouch.

In 2015, Dawn said her “easiest client” was Coleen, who she has worked with since she was 16.

She even designed her first children’s room for son Kai, which she described as “unique and beautiful” – with lots of Swarovski crystals.

“Footballer houses have been my bread and butter for so long. But the main core of my business now is super high-end companies and huge high-end developments,” she added.

While Dawn may have been well-known among football fans and celebrity circles, it wasn’t until 2015 that she burst into the nation’s consciousness in ITVBE’s new show, which focused on the enchanted and ridiculously lavish lives of six wealthy Cheshire ‘housewives’.

Aside from Dawn, the original cast members were Ampika Pickstone, Lauren Simon, Leanne Brown, Magali Gorré, and Tanya Bardsley.

Dawn said she decided to appear on the show to raise her brand’s profile and secure the future of her four daughters.

The mother of four said: “I don’t have to prove myself to anyone. You will always make people stereotype you. But actually all WAGs are pretty hot and cool so I’m pretty happy at my age.”

Across 14 seasons, the show featured some hilarious and ridiculous moments, including the group trying to herd ducks and a monkey making off with Dawn’s Chanel handbag while on vacation in Gibraltar, though she got the expensive accessory back.

Dawn has been criticized for having two of her daughters, aged 21 and 19, get breasts done. Crying on Loose Women when one of Darby’s offspring defended their mother.

Feuds, of course, were a big part of the show’s appeal, and Dawn’s ongoing feud with cast member and former girlfriend Leanne Brown caught the attention of many.

She also fell out with actress Tanya Bardsley over what is said to be Leanne.

In June 2016, Dawn was found guilty of assaulting singer Sinitta in a London restaurant after she denied the charges.

She was sentenced to be tied up for three months to keep the peace.

The judge noted that although the violence was “minimal, not excessive”, he was satisfied that “when Mrs Ward poked or poked Miss Malone it was an assault by beatings”.

Dawn’s profile continued to rise after the court case and there were rumors she would appear on Celebrity Big Brother 2017, but that never happened.

In addition to appearing on chat shows, she strutted down a catwalk during a show at Men’s London Fashion Week in 2019.

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Dawn looked unrecognizable as she eschewed her usual glossy blow-dry and flawless makeup for a greasy, wet-look hairstyle and an icy face for Art School’s Fall/Winter 2019 collection.

In 2020, she appeared on Celebrity Come Dine with Me alongside Charlotte Crosby of Geordie Shore and Corrie actor Steven Arnold.

That same year, she announced she was leaving The Real Housewives of Cheshire after 12 seasons to pursue projects with her family.

In a statement uploaded to social media, she explained: “After being with The Real Housewives of Cheshire for almost 7 years and 12 seasons, I’ve had the most incredible journey, not just me but my entire family. She really was incredible for us.”

“Season 12 is now over and filming is complete. It’s been tough this season with the pandemic, but the cast and our amazing production team pulled it off again, it was fun!

“Anyone who knows me knows that my family is all I care about, so I’ve decided that after 12 seasons on the show, I want to focus on projects with them.”

She added that the show will just “go from strength to strength as it has since Season 1.”