Monday, June 7, 2010

Gary Coleman Ex-Wife Says 'I Would Never Hurt My Husband'

ABCNews- Gary Coleman's ex-wife emphatically denied contributing to the fall that would lead to the former child star's death last month, saying she "would take my own life before I would ever, ever harm him."

Shannon Price, who arrived for her interview in a wheelchair and had to stop speaking when she thought she might be suffering a seizure, told "Good Morning America" she said is happy that Coleman is no longer suffering.

"We discussed death a few times and he always said he would be very unfair if he left me and I really respect that," Price said "because I loved him and he loved me and we just can't live without each other."

Coleman, who shot to fame on the television show "Diff'rent Strokes" and struggled as an adult with substance abuse and anger issues, died May 26 of intracranial hemorrhage. Price was by his side as he was removed from life support.

In a panicked 911 call, Price can be heard describing the scene after Coleman apparently fell and split the back of his head open, spilling blood "everywhere" and causing her to fear for his life.

"His head is bloody. There's blood all over the floor. I don't know what happened. I really don't know what happened," she told the dispatcher. Coleman can be heard groaning in the background.

"Sit down, sit down, Gary sit down! Look at the floor, sit down!" she said on the tape. Then later, she told the dispatcher, "I can't be here with the blood, I really can't. I have blood on myself. I can't deal."

(CLICK HERE to hear the full 911 call)

Price said that speculation that she pushed Coleman is untrue.

"I asked him if he could make me some food," she told "Good Morning America." "He went down there and I heard this big smack. I went down there and found him in a pool of blood."

"People can say whatever they want. I know the truth," she said. "I would never hurt my husband, ever."

"I was with him down there the whole time. Seeing him in a pool of blood was difficult," she said. "If it was someone else in my situation I am sure they wouldn't know what to do either."

Coleman and Price married on a Nevada mountaintop in 2007 after meeting on the set of a 2006 film called "Church Ball." She was 22, he was 40.

Price has been feuding with Coleman's parents since his death. His funeral was postponed while the two sides argued over where he should be laid to rest. His parents have said they've tried contacting Price to get more information about their son's last hours, but that she has not responded.

"My brother called them and talked to the mother and said if you have any questions let me know and she didn't have anything to say," Price said.

It was recently revealed that the couple had actually divorced in 2008, just shy of their one-year anniversary.

Price said they had been meaning to re-new their vows, but their respective health issues got in the way.

"We decided that wasn't what we wanted. We just had a disagreement," she said. "After we filed and it went through we decided that wasn't the right choice."

Coleman's celebrity status also seemed to weigh heavily on him and his marriage. In his last interview, three weeks before his death, while he was lending his voice to an animated movie called "Star Dumb," Coleman called celebrity a "burden."

"You are stuck with it for life. I don't care who you are. You are going to die with it, even if you haven't worked in 20 years," he said. "There are definitely some enemies in my life I would wish celebrity on."

Price said that despite financial struggles, arguments aired on television and the infamous "Divorce Court" appearance, the two were always in love.

"Yeah, we had our disagreements, but it was golden," she said. "Nothing could come between us."

Price said her life is now "up in the air."

"I have had a lot of health issues. I have seizures, I have anxiety," she said. "I miss my husband a lot. I can barely get around. It's been a trial."

Last week, People.com reported that Gary Coleman's parents Willie and Sue Coleman want to know exactly what happened leading up to their son's death.

"We're not pointing fingers at anyone, but we need to know exactly what happened," Sue Coleman told People.com, adding that she and her husband were seeking closure.

Police said earlier this week there is no investigation underway because there is nothing suspicious about his death, but no details have been released on how or why he fell. Coleman did suffer two seizures earlier this year.

Coleman's publicist, John Alcantar said that after initally taken to a hospital, Coleman was moved to another hospital for more tests and treatment. By midday Coleman had regained consciousness and was lucid.

But his condition soon grew dire and he died the next day.

At a news conference in Salt Lake City after Coleman's death, Coleman's brother-in-law Shawn Price read a statement written by his sister, Coleman's wife.

"We are very grateful for all the wonderful support everyone has been extending to Gary's family," the statement said. "Thousands of e-mails have poured in to the hospital. This has been so comforting to the family to know how beloved he still is."

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