Biff's ex reveals Xmas 'nightmare' in prison

While former Proteas captain Graeme Smith was anxiously awaiting the birth of his third child, his estranged Irish wife, Morgan Deane, endured a brief jail ordeal for being in South Africa illegally.

The celebrity couple, who married in 2011 and had two children together, split acrimoniously in March 2015.

Smith announced the birth of his son with his new partner, Romy Lanfranchi, on social media three weeks ago.

This week Deane, a former pop singer, said she wanted to speak out after being "muzzled" for 18 months by an interim court order obtained by Smith.

She revealed her thoughts on Smith's new baby and her brief jail stint and gave a peek into her book, Green Girl's Guide to Divorce, which she plans to release later this year.

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Deane abandoned her singing career to join Smith in South Africa, where she is still living.

"I have been approached several times for a reaction to the birth of Graeme and Romy's new baby," she said in an e-mail to the Sunday Times.

"I've thought long and hard about whether to respond as I have been muzzled for the last 18 months under the threat of a defamation suit.

"My response is this: a new-born baby, under any circumstances, is a blessing. I wish only the best for this new little baby and happiness in his family.

"With that said, I have a side of this story to tell and it's important that I say it. The nightmare leading up to Christmas began at the end of November. I was thrown into prison, albeit for only a few hours."

Deane said she had had to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court after her spousal visa had expired.

"I applied well in advance for the renewal, but the administrative process overran the expiry date by eight days ... As a result I have not been able to leave the country ... with the threat of a criminal record and deportation hanging over my head."

She said the matter would be back in court later this month.

Smith, through his attorney Marlaine Wiehahn, said he had not known about Deane's detention. "This is the first that Graeme has heard of [it]," Wiehahn said.

She said Smith had paid for Deane to get legal help in renewing her visa. "Morgan elected not to follow her attorney's advice, leading to further legal costs for which Graeme was not prepared to pay."

Graeme Smith with his partner Romy Lanfranchi and their newborn son.GRAEME SMITH

Home affairs spokesman Mayihlome Tshwete said Deane had spent a brief period in jail because she had overstayed her visa and had not provided "good cause" for the delay in getting it renewed.

In an excerpt from her book, Deane says she was "disempowered" by a powerful man, and her "beautiful house" became her prison.

"The walls were cemented with heartbreak and glossed with tears," she writes.

govendersu@sundaytimes.co.za