Which Rolling Stone Married a 16-Year-Old?

Written by Jeff Campbell in Band Members,Rock n' Roll Last Updated February 1, 2023

The Rolling Stones were known for their hedonistic lifestyle. And no doubt they’ve been linked to many different women. But which Rolling Stone married a 16-year-old?

None of the Rolling Stones married a 16-year-old. However, bassist Bill Wyman (then 47) dated 13-year-old Mandy Smith. But he did not marry her until she turned 18 in 1989.

The rumors that a member of The Rolling Stones married a 16-year-old may have resulted from this confusion. But no matter what the age was, we’re still talking pretty inappropriate.

Bill and Mandy had a civil ceremony, but many disapproved of it as a good match because Bill was 52 and Mandy was 18. And did I mention they began dating when she was only 13??

And yes, she had confirmed the relationship became sexual when she was just 14.

But somehow, he’s escaped the vilification that has fallen on people like Gary Glitter and Jeffrey Epstein. In addition, Mandy reported that she was on birth control pills, which later deteriorated her health. The couple kept their relationship secret for years.

Could it be possible that Mandy and Bill had already gotten married before she turned 18, and to get the approval of their fans, they tied the knot officially later?

Let us dig in deeper!

How old was Mandy Smith when she started dating Bill Wyman?

Mandy Smith and Bill Wyman started dating in 1984 when Bill was 47 and Mandy Smith was 13. Despite their enormous age gap, the couple tied the knot on June 2, 1989, after five years of dating. 

During his three decades with the Stones, Wyman was known for his womanizing and unpretentious attributes. He had an active dating life.

In his 2016 book, Stone Alone, Wyman revealed:

“I fared much better than the others in the girl department. In 1965, we sat down one evening in a hotel and worked that out. Since the band had started two years earlier, I’d had 278 girls, Brian (Jones) 130, Mick (Jagger) about thirty, Keith (Richards) Six, and Charlie (Watts) none.” 

I also read online that with all this philandering, The Rolling Stones;’ bassist Bill Wyman was 47-year-old when he first laid eyes on Mandy Smith.

The two dated each other soon with the approval of Mandy’s parents. Wyman admitted in 1986 that he was deeply in love with her and said: 

“For the first time in years, I’m trying to cut down on the number of women I’m sleeping with.” 

Despite the enormous age gap and Wyman’s notorious dating history, both exchanged vows in 1989.

Did Bill Wyman’s son marry Mandy Smith’s mother?

Bill Wyman’s 31-year-old son, Stephen Wyman, married Mandy Smith’s 46-year-old mother, Patsy, shortly after Bill and Mandy’s divorce in 1993. They remained married for approximately 2 years.

While many would agree that life is all about relationships, Bill and Mandy’s is a family tree with too many branches tangled together, which got complicated over the years.

Wyman’s son married Mandy’s mother shortly after Mandy and Bill divorced in a weird, twisted tale.

Now imagine for a second if Bill and Mandy had not divorced; Bill Wyman would become his son’s son-in-law, and Bill’s son would become Mandy’s stepfather.

Furthermore, by virtue of his marriage to Mandy’s mother, Stephen would become Mandy’s son and father. 

Of course, things would have gotten more interesting if both decided to have children. This instance reminds me of another couple in the band who married each other despite their enormous age gap; Keith Richards and Patti Hansen.

Read my recent article where I have discussed Patti and Keith’s relationship. How long have they been together? Are they actually married? And how many affairs has Keith had during their time together?

Just click that link to read it on my site.

Why did Bill Wyman and Mandy Smith divorce?

Bill Wyman divorced Mandy Smith after growing impatient with her health problems. But their 34 year age gap and being at completely different places in their lives had to have had an enormous impact as well.

He remembers his relationship with his 18-year-old wife as an “emotional midlife crisis.”

Mandy and Bill got married on 2 June 1989 in a civil ceremony. Before this, they had already been dating for five years.

However, by the time the couple got married, Smith’s started developing health issues as a result of birth control pills that she had taken since 14 when she first illegally consummated the relationship with Wyman.

What happened next was perhaps something many understood as inevitable. Not long after the wedding, Smith began losing weight drastically, leading Wyman to feel impatient.

Mandy confirmed moving out just weeks after their marriage, and the couple called it quits in 1991 by filing for divorce.

Bill later talked to Daily Mail and said:

“I was really stupid to ever think it could possibly work. She was too young. I felt she had to go out and see life for a bit.”

What was Mandy Smith’s illness?

Mandy Smith was reportedly diagnosed with Candida, a yeast intolerance disease that can cause an individual to lose weight and decline physically if not treated by a doctor with major dietary adjustments. 

Mandy mentions that her body was shutting down, and she could not even have sex with Bill. It was not that he repulsed her, but it was just that it seemed wrong.

She believed that it should have seemed wrong years ago, but the problem was with her. She did everything the wrong way around. Thus, she decided divorce was better.

It was a tough decision for her. It had turned into a soap opera, but it seemed pretty normal when they were living it.

In some ways, Bill and Mandy’s relationship was similar to another couple from the band, Brian Jones and one-time girlfriend, Linda Lawrence.

But, in so many ways, they were different.

While Brian received tremendous support from Linda, Mandy dealt with health issues causing her to be unable to provide the support Bill needed.

But Brian Jones had a huge impact on The Stones.

I made sure to cover Linda and Brian’s relationship in my recent article. But I also got into just how important he was to the Stones in the early days. But did Mick or Keith really have anything to do with his death??

Just click that link to read it on my site.

What is Mandy Smith doing now?

Mandy Smith became religious and eventually celibate and began working with troubled teenage girls. She is keeping out of the public eye and lives in Manchester as a single mother with her son Max and his half-sister Nicola from 2 previous relationships.

She is also a strong advocate for raising the age of consent (for sex) to 18 (currently 16 in the UK).

Born in an Irish Catholic family, Mandy Smith remembers life as a notorious affair. She always looked older than her age and dressed up and went to discuss with her sister.

It was one of the nights she met Bill Wyman. The controversial couple married, which lasted barely a few weeks.

Mandy was unfortunate in terms of marriage because, after Bill, she married twice, but neither succeeded. Mandy Smith explained in an interview that she never understood what love was until she had her son Max.

Up until recently, she had been mending her ways and committed to religion.

Conclusion

It has been 55 years since the Rolling Stones’ bad-boy attitude shocked the world. They became one of the most iconic rock groups notorious for their talents and lifestyle.

A peek at their scandalous moments reveals a history of drug addiction, alcohol abuse, and womanizing.

However, one controversy that remains arguably the most talked about is Bill Wyman (52) marrying 34-years younger model Mandy Smith (18).

The two had confirmed in many of their interviews that they started dating each other when Mandy was 13, which could have been why many people confuse one of the members marrying a 16-year-old.

However, it is not valid. Bill may have dated Mandy early but did not marry until she turned 18.

Photos that require attribution:

Image by IO-Images from Pixabay and Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
Bill Wyman and his Rhythm Kings by jack 0113 is licensed under CC2.0 and was cropped, edited, and had a text and graphic overlay added.

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