Charlotte Martin was a successful French model from the late 1960s and the early 1970s, and she had a relationship with Jimmy Page from 1970 to 1982 or 1983.
LIFE WITH ERIC CLAPTON
Before she met Jimmy, she was going out with Eric Clapton from 1965 till 1968.
In Eric's autobiography he writes: 'At the Speakeasy Club, I had first met one of the great loves of my life, a very beautiful French model,Charlotte Martin. I was smitten with her from the very first moment I set eyes on her. She was very beautiful in an austere way, classically French, with long legs and an incredible figure, but it was her eyes that got on me. They were slightly Asian with a downward slant, and a little bit sad. We started dating right away and soon moved in together into a flat in Regents Park belonging to Stigwood's partner, David Shaw, who was the financial brains behind the organization. Charlotte was an incredible girl, more interested in films, art and literature than in modeling, and we had a great time together.'
According to Pattie Boyd's biography "Wonderful Tonight" "[Pattie Boyd] was friendly with a French girl [Charlotte] who was going out with Eric Clapton. She was always flirtatious with George, but so were a lot of girls and he, of course, loved it. then she and Eric broke up - Eric told her to leave - and she came to stay with us at Kinfauns".
"It was 1st January 1969, and George and I [Pattie Boyd] had seen in the new year at Cilla Black..s house. [...] We arrived home in good spirits but then everything went swiftly downhill. The French girl didn't seem remotely upset with Eric and was uncomfortably close to George. Something was going on between them, and I questioned George. He told me my imagination was running away whit me, I was paranoid. Soon I couldn..t stand it so I went to London [...]. Six days later George phoned me to say that the girl had gone and I went home".
Both George and Eric had said about it in interview, but they had never said this girl's name. Eric said: "The reason why I deprived him of the wife is that he had put out his hand to my girl first. I thought that I revenged it on him".
And George said: "The reason why he deprived me of the wife is that I deprived him of the girl first. He revenged it on me".
LIFE WITH JIMMY PAGE
Jimmy Page was introduced to Charlotte Martin on his 26th birthday in 1970 by Roger Daltrey and his girlfriend Heather after the Royal Albert Hall gig. Heather was convinced that Jimmy and Charlotte would hit it off. That night was the beginning of a long and stormy relationship of Jimmy and Charlotte. After the show got over Jimmy and Charlotte spoke for a long time and later Richard Cole dropped them to Charlotte's house.
Pamela Des Barres writes in her book ''I'm With the Band'' that Jimmy fell in intense and dramatic love with Charlotte on his birthday.
UK tour ended in Leeds later that month, they settled in Jimmy's Pangbourne Boathouse on the Thames, enjoying an Edward life-style along the river amid Jimmy's growing collections of antiques and pre-Raphaelite furniture.
Pamela Des Barres also writes "Miss Chirstien sent me a letter about Lady Charlotte, and my mind was stiffened like a stone''. Miss Chirstien (another member of GTO's) was living in London with Todd Rundgren at that time.
Richard Cole writes in his book 'Stairway to Heaven' that "Charlotte was the type of girl who you couldn't look at just once. Tall. Thin. Blonde. Perfect features. You had to glance a second time''. But he also writes ''At least in her relationship with me, she was aloof, unfriendly, and indifferent''.
Jimmy and Charlotte had a stormy marriage, but they had one daughter Scarlet Page, born in March 24th 1971, who is now a photographer. When onstage for Page and Plant's 'Unledded' reunion in 1994, Robert Plant announced to the audience that Page's daughter, Scarlet was conceived "about half an hour" after "That's the Way" was written in Bron-Yr-Aur cottage, Wales. Then Jimmy took Charlotte and Robert took Maureen and their daughter Carmen with them.
Jimmy and Charlotte didn't have a good relationship the first half of the 1970s, but from the late 1970s 'till the begining of the 1980s their relationship get better, and Jimmy was calling her 'my lady'. Jimmy threw elaborate parties for her at Plumpton Place and Old Mill House.
Especially, on her birthday, in 1982, Jimmy had a great party for her at their ..Old Mill House... Some famous rock stars attended at the party, including Alan White (ex Yes) with his wife GiGi, and also attended Eric Clapton.
In around 1983, it was said that Charlotte had moved into another house in Windsor.
But nowadays Jimmy is on good terms with Charlotte. He said in interview of 'THE INDEPENDENT' in 2004: "Every Christmas we are all together, all the mums and all the children," he smiles. "We are a close-knit family."
Jimmy and Charlotte were presented their first grandchild Martha Alice by Scarlet in last autumn.
