Man's wife and ex go head-to-head in local elections - and he'll vote for former wife

And to make matters worse, troubled Dave Paradise will be voting for his ex - because he is a life-long Conservative voter.

Dave's current wife, Mayor of Bath and Liberal Democrat councillor Carol Paradise, 64, is defending her Kingsmead seat on May 3.

But his ex-wife Shirley, 61, is challenging her seat for the Tories - leaving Dave, 67, stuck in the middle of a political divide.

He said: "I've always voted Conservative and will vote that way again."

All three share the same house just outside Bath, Somerset, which Dave had converted from a bungalow to a five-bedroom house during his 24-year marriage to accountant Shirley.

But when they divorced in 1988, Dave split the house to make a separate apartment for his ex-wife.

Dave then met Carol, who has two daughters and a son from her previous marriage, 12 years later and they got married in 2001.

Carol, 64, had originally decided not to contest her seat this year and encouraged her love rival Shirley to have a go instead.

But just three months before election day her Liberal Democrat replacement dropped out - so Carol stepped back in. Despite their political divisions the two women remain cordial - for now.

Carol said: "I wasn't going to stand again and I've got a good relationship with Shirley. When I decided I wouldn't stand as a councillor, I told her she should try as she'd be brilliant.

"I thought it would suit her down to the ground. I thought perhaps the Conservatives would move Shirley to another ward. But no, it's ended up both of us in the same ward.

"I dreaded telling her. I said 'Look, you're the first person I'm going to tell. My group has asked me to stand again' and she said, 'May the best candidate win'.

"If I wasn't standing, even though we're for different parties, I would want her to get elected because I think she'd be wonderful.

"But once your name's on the ballot paper, the urge to win kicks in. And I wouldn't be standing if I didn't want to be a councillor again."

Shirley was selected by the local Conservative group to contest the Kingsmead seat, which has seven candidates running for two places.

Shirley, who has a grown-up son and daughter, said: "It's the powers-that-be that have done this. I would have preferred not to be against her but there's nothing we can do about it.

"I'm going to give it my best shot. It's up to the residents of Kingsmead who they choose.

"If I don't get in this time, I think I'll try once more. If they don't want me twice then as far as I'm concerned that's me bowled out.

"Carol persuaded me to run for it. She knew I was not of her political persuasion, but said Bath and North East Somerset Council could do with fresh blood." Carol said the trio cope well with their unusual domestic arrangement.

"We do live in the same house and it's all very friendly but Shirley does have a completely separate apartment," she said.

"She did move away at one point but she has a lot of Siamese cats and as we live out in the country, she felt the setting was better for them.

"She asked if she could come back and we said 'of course'. There are no hard feelings and we all get on really well." But with two seats up for grabs, a fairytale ending could be on the cards if they both win.

However, Carol doubts they could both win because rival candidate Andy Furse was well supported. But she did point out it would be convenient if they were both elected.

She said: "If we both get in we'll ride together to council meetings. She doesn't drive and I do"