Ex-wife of Luton's Charles Bronson claims he wants to remarry nearly 50 years after last seeing her

Charles Bronson's ex-wife has claimed that he wants them to get back together nearly 50 years after last seeing each other.

Irene Dunroe, 71, went to visit him to talk about their relationship, having split in 1976. After a meeting at HMP Woodhill in August 29, Irene says that 70-year-old Bronson wants to try again, and is talking about buying her a ring. While Irene is not ruling out making a new start with him, she wants to take things slowly and get him his freedom first.

The mum-of-three spent two hours with Bronson and hopes to see him again before Christmas. Irene said: "I think he probably does want more than friendship. I wasn't really thinking about that as there's too much going on in my head at the moment. I just want him out."

The Ann Summers worker added: "He's always saying that he wants to try the relationship and that he's always loved me - that I'm his first love. We don't know what's in the future but he says he wants to get a ring for me for Christmas so he is thinking things like that.”

Irene and Bronson were teenagers when they met and married soon after. At the time, he was known as Michael Peterson, and Irene still calls him Mick. They married in 1971 and have a son, also called Michael, now aged 51.

The pair divorced just five years later while Bronson was serving time for armed robbery. They are now single again after remarrying after their split. She visited him to talk in person for the first time in almost five decades after exchanging phone calls and letters.

Irene, who visited Bronson at the Milton Keynes jail with her daughter, said: "I ran up to him as soon as I walked in.

"He picked me up and spun me around as I hugged him. He was talking about when he gets out he said he's going to take me on holiday.”

According to Irene, Bronson – who goes by Charles Salvador – was laughing with the guards who “all said he was a nice bloke and does no harm to anybody.”

She explained: "He's so positive and he's behaved well for eight years now, he's not violent now.

Bronson has spent most of his life behind bars. He was 22 when he was first jailed in 1974 and given seven years for armed robbery. His bad behaviour as an inmate and violent reputation meant he wasn’t released until 1987.

Bronson spent just 69 days as a free man before being rearrested and jailed again after robbing a jewellery shop. He was sentenced to another seven years and, bar another brief spell of freedom in 1992, has been in prison since. He was last denied parole in March.

Irene says she hopes Bronson gets out soon - so he can live out some of his dreams.

She said: "When he's released he wants to open a studio called the Salvador Studio and he wants to buy 12 old prison cell doors and create artwork over the doors and sell them as a set.”

Bronson has his sights set on the London Marathon – which he wants to run dressed as a convict, along with Irene as a prison warden.

His ex-wife said: "The whole visit was just amazing, he's so cheerful and he makes you laugh, you certainly don't feel threatened by him.

Although she's not sure about their future yet, Irene says she "might consider" getting re-married. She said: "I don't know. I'm not sure about all that yet, but we'll see. You don't know how things are going to pan out, I never thought 50 years ago that he'd still be in prison.”