If you like Spanish faranduleo, you are in luck: on January 15 “Cristo y Rey“, the fiction based on the lives of Ángel Cristo and Bárbara Rey, premiered on ATRESplayer. These two celebrities marked the heart press of the 90’s and their story is, to say the least, convulsive: passion, fights, drugs and violence are some of the adjectives that would fit best to define this relationship of lights and shadows.
Few introductions need to be made to Bárbara Rey, since she is one of the most recognized names in the series. Today we will delve into the other side of the binomial “Cristo and Rey”, Ángel Cristo, who passed away on May 4, 2010.
Ángel Cristo Dordid was born in Huelva on October 17, 1943. The fame he gained is due to the circus tents: during the 70s and 80s, Ángel Cristo was known for being the most famous tamer in Spain. His relationship with the circus is not accidental, since he was the son of the Malaga contortionist Margarita Dordi and the Greek trapeze artist Christoforo Cristo Papadopulos.
Ángel’s childhood took place under tents and shows of all kinds. However, little Angel always showed interest in one thing in particular: the wild beasts. At the age of 17, he had his first contact with lions because the tamer who worked with his parents had to be absent. However, his official debut did not come until he was 21 years old at the Berlin Zirkus (inherited from the Circus Krone).
After several years, in 1968 he founded his own circus, El Circo Ruso. After many ups and downs, it managed to position itself as the most important in all of Europe and had up to 300 workers. Due to the risk of his show, Ángel Cristo suffered spectacular accidents that would lead to bruises and broken bones. The tamer was also followed by controversy, such as the multiple accusations of animal abuse and the abandonment that he made of two lions and a tiger to a circus in Badajoz.
Addiction problems and Bárbara Rey
The love life of Ángel Cristo had a great impact on his career and his most famous relationship was the one he had with Bárbara Rey. The star did not come into his life until 1980 and with her he had two children, Ángel (1981) and Sofía (1983). Barbara and Ángel’s relationship lasted 8 years and was quite a roller coaster. Barbara ended up suing the tamer for mistreatment in 1989. After this, the sentence would fail in his favor and he would keep custody of his children.
On the other hand, Ángel Cristo was no stranger to the world of drugs. His addiction problems would begin in 1984 and since then, everything has gone downhill without brakes. In 1995, the tamer was admitted to the Puerto Real hospital due to an overdose of barbiturates. His children, Sofía and Ángel, were victims of their father’s addictions. According to Sofía, Ángel offered her cocaine and also forced her to buy drugs from him. Will we see some of these passages in the Cristo y Rey series?
