6ft 4” Charles Barkley’s alleged affair with Madonna led to mother in law’s heart attack in a crazy story

Charles Barkley has had a long and successful marriage with Maureen Blumhardt, however, in its intial stages it faced some brutal tests.

Barkley married Maureen in 1989, and the two have been together ever since then. They’ve had a happy marriage with both enjoying successful careers.

Barkley was one of the greatest forwards to have played in the NBA. Standing in a 6’4″, he was force for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Phoenix Suns. He’d make it to the NBA Finals with the Suns as well before unfortunately running into Michael Jordan’s run of dominance.

Barkley continued his run of success after his NBA career, starring on ESPN’s Inside the NBA alongside Shaq, Kenny, and Ernie. He’s amassed a $50 million net worth with smart investments and his media career.

Maureen was a successful businesswoman and model who has a $1 million net worth. They’ve been married 33 years now, and they had to go through a lot to make it to where they are now.

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Rumors of a Charles Barkley affair with Madonna gave Maureen Blumhardt’s mother a heart attack

In 1989, things were far different then they are now. Maureen and Barkley’s marriage was met with intense criticism. The two met in City Avenue in Pennsylvania when Barkley was a 76er and Maureen was a legal aid.

Pennsylvania hadn’t truly come to terms with interracial couples at the time, and so an interracial marriage was far out of the picture. Barkley spoke up about the stereotypes African Americans faced and how he absolutely hated it.

“If you are black on television, you are probably going to be some kind of thug, gangster or portrayed in a negative light,” he explained. “If you are some type of Muslim, you are going to be blowing stuff up. If you are Hispanic, you are going to be some type of gangbanger. I’ve felt like this for years.”

That was the first test their marriage faced, but it wouldn’t be the biggest. Rumors started to fly that Barkley was dating pop icon Madonna, and that took a major toll on Maureen’s family.

Barkley and Madonna’s stories began after Barkley moved away from Philadelphia to Phoenix. Barkley tried to stay above it all and ignore the reports, but after a certain point he couldn’t. Maureen’s mother and Barkley’s mother in law had a heart attack from the stress of the rumors. People started calling her and harassing her, and it all became too much.

“She [his mother in law] has had a lot of stress from the jokes about me and Madonna [dating] and has been harassed with people calling the house,” Barkley commented at the time. “She’s not doing well right now and that’s a major concern.”

“They should leave my wife and daughter alone,” he added “When my wife goes out, they play Madonna songs, they’re calling my in-laws. This stuff is ridiculous, unbelievable. Nothing happened. I’m trying to concentrate on the finals, but this is harassment of me and my family.”

You can watch a full video detailing the entire situation here.

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