Suzanne Shaw's stepmother has hit back at the singer's claims she unfairly inherited all her late father's money.

The Hear'Say and Emmerdale star made her remarks on TV this week, saying that on his death all of her father's assets had passed to his then wife Irene - when she understood they would be split equally.

The 43-year-old actress and singer said that Irene had then remarried, meaning she completely missed out on any inheritance. She said this felt 'like a slap in the face' - and that it had caused such a deep rift she no longer speaks to that side of the family.

But today Irene Marshall - who is now married for a fifth time - replied: 'I'm shocked and hurt she would bring this up on TV… it's just not true.'

Ms Marshall, 68, was married to Ms Shaw's father Vincent Crowshaw for ten years before his death from a brain tumour in 2012.

Now an expat in Cyprus, she got in touch with MailOnline to give her side of the story, saying: 'I would like to start by saying I'm so shocked and upset by these comments made by my stepdaughter Suzanne.'

She denied suggestions that she is completely estranged from Suzanne, saying: 'We have been in contact over the years.

'I have had messages from her congratulating me on my wedding to Thomas back in 2020.

Irene, pictured with her fifth husband Thomas, insisted that she had been in touch with Suzanne in the years since the death of Vincent, to whom she was married for ten years

Suzanne Shaw appeared on the TV chat show Vanessa to claim that her former stepmother Irene Marshall had unfairly inherited all her late father's money

Irene has said that she was very upset that Suzanne spoke on TV about the will and said the situation was more complicated than the singer claimed

Suzanne with her father Vincent Crowshaw, who died from a brain tumour in 2012

'She also sent her condolences when my elder sister passed away three years ago.

'She is also in contact with my daughter so I don't understand the comment about not being in contact with us.'

Ms Marshall said her inheritance from Ms Shaw's father had been a form of balancing the books after she had put her own equity into their living arrangement.

She said: 'I was with Vinny for 15 years and when we bought a house together I sold mine and came with £50,000. We had a £100,000 mortgage and when he died we still owed £62,000.

'We also had credit cards to pay and he had booked a holiday for all the family to go to Disneyland Paris - but unfortunately died before we were due to go.

'I asked the family if they still wanted to go and they did so we went as a large family, which totalled £12,000.

'We'd had a will drawn up around 2005. It was what is called 'a mirrored will' - so that if I died everything went to him, and if he died everything went to me… and if we both died together it got shared between my two children and his two children, including Suzanne.

'The business went to Suzanne's brother, Paul. There was a six-year age difference between us - Vinny was 62 when he died and I was 56.

'I don't understand why Suzanne has said what she has said on TV 13 years on. She could have contested the will but didn't and we remained in contact.'

Irene and Vincent lived in Bury in Greater Manchester, but she has now moved to Cyprus after marrying her fifth husband Thomas Marshall five years ago.

She added: 'Vinny set up his business before meeting me but after about three years together we both became directors and I gave my job up and worked with him until he died.

'I want people to know I had not only a funeral to pay for and debts to cover but I didn't have a job, as Vinny was the cameraman.'

The former Emmerdale actress previously admitted she no longer speaks to members of her family after falling out over the inheritance

She has not been paid for this interview but went on the record, she insists, because she wanted to set the story straight.

Irene's two children - a 46-year-old son and a 40-year-old daughter - both live in Greater Manchester. Neither wanted to speak publicly.

But a source close to Irene's family told us: 'We are all furious about what she said.

'We're no gold-diggers as Suzanne implied.

'The situation is much more complicated than what she's made it out to be.'

Irene worked for the Alliance and Leicester building society as a secretary in the valuation department before giving the job up and joining Vincent's production company which videoed dance shows and festivals around the UK.

Suzanne made her shock claims during an interview on Channel 5's Vanessa on Monday.

She told the host: 'My dad passed away very sadly. A divided family as he had remarried. My brother got some inheritance but it was only his business he inherited and then my stepmum got all of it and it was meant to be split equally.

'She's now remarried, everything has gone to her side of the family and I got nothing out of any of it. It's like a slap in the face. It's like you weren't valued.

'I know what it feels like. It is hard. What it causes is divide. We no longer speak to those people who were a big part of our life and that's sad.'

Fellow guest, vocal coach and TV presenter Carrie Grant, 59, told Suzanne that she had recently had a conversation with her husband about splitting her own estate equally between her children.

She added: 'You're literally setting your children up for war aren't you?'

Irene said: 'I would like to start by saying I'm so shocked and upset by these comments made by my stepdaughter Suzanne'

Supernanny Jo Frost took to Instagram to give her views on the conversation between the pair. She said: 'Wow... what a sad set of responses from both ladies, and might I add common, one feeling undervalued because of money and one afraid it will create divide.

'Families you need to have conversations now and make decisions based on what is morally right and raise your children with no expectation of your wealth. None of us are entitled to another person's purse. Have the conversations.'

Suzanne has previously spoken of the pain of her father's death, saying: 'What was hardest was witnessing his rapid deterioration. It was a very tough time for the family.'

In March 2012, Vincent was diagnosed with a grade four glioblastoma tumour following blood tests and an MRI scan. Courses of radiotherapy and chemotherapy failed to shrink the growth and the family received the devastating news that Vincent's condition was terminal and he had between 12 and 18 months to live.

Suzanne added: 'The experts tell you how serious the situation is but you don't really believe them until you see it and I always thought that, "My dad's invincible, there will be a miracle around the corner. He'll be fine. They'll get rid of the tumour'"'