The former wife of Stephen Hawking has described how she and their three children were “left behind” after the cosmologist was surrounded by “sycophantic” admirers following publication of his landmark work A Brief History of Time.

In an interview to coincide with the release this week of the Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything, the physicist’s ex-wife Jane said their life became “very complicated” after her husband achieved fame.

“I rather felt that the family had been left behind,” she told Radio Times. “To me, Stephen was my husband and the father of my children; one does not say to one’s husband, “Oh, you’re so clever! I must worship the ground under your feet, or in this case, wheels.” I found this kind of sycophantic attitude – the attitude adopted by so many people around Stephen – exceptionally frustrating and, of course, it grew a lot worse when we finally had to engage carers.”

Stephen Hawking's first wife Jane Wilde (left) played by Felicity Jones (right) in The Theory of Everything (Reuters)

She described the “exhaustion” she felt looking after someone with motor neurone disease and the “very traumatic” end to the relationship in 1990. “I was, I suppose, very innocent. I expected that carers came into the home to help look after the disabled person and respect the rest of the family. Very few of them did that. I was desperate; I didn’t think I could carry on, because I was so drained.”

Five years after their divorce, Stephen married one of his carers, Elaine Mason. Before the break-up, Jane had begun a relationship with a musician, Jonathan, who became her husband.

She wrote her memoir Travelling to Infinity (from which The Theory of Everything draws) because she feared being written out of her husband’s story. “I felt that Stephen had become such a significant figure, a scientist of such international renown, that at some future date someone would be sure to attempt an inaccurate, sensationalised biography, possibly including me, possibly writing me out of the script.”

The Theory of Everything picture preview Show all 12 1 /12 The Theory of Everything picture preview The Theory of Everything picture preview The Theory of Everything Eddie Redmayne plays a young Stephen Hawking struggling with coming to terms with his Motor Neurone Disease diagnosis Universal The Theory of Everything picture preview The Theory of Everything Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) and Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones) on their wedding day in 1965 Universal The Theory of Everything picture preview The Theory of Everything Eddie Redmayne plays Stephen Hawking (right) before he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease while studying for his PhD at Cambridge University Universal The Theory of Everything picture preview The Theory of Everything Eddie Redmayne plays Stephen Hawking as the first signs of Motor Neurone Disease begin to show in his body Universal The Theory of Everything picture preview The Theory of Everything Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking, who fathered three children with his first wife Jane Wilde Universal The Theory of Everything picture preview The Theory of Everything Eddie Redmayne pictured with Stephen Hawking Universal The Theory of Everything picture preview The Theory of Everything Eddie Redmayne plays Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything Universal The Theory of Everything picture preview The Theory of Everything Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones play husband and wife Stephen Hawking and Jane Wilde in The Theory of Everything Universal The Theory of Everything picture preview The Theory of Everything Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones play husband and wife Stephen Hawking and Jane Wilde in The Theory of Everything Universal The Theory of Everything picture preview The Theory of Everything Felicity Jones plays Stephen Hawking's wife Jane Wilde Universal The Theory of Everything picture preview The Theory of Everything Felicity Jones plays Stephen Hawking's wife Jane Wilde in The Theory of Everything AP The Theory of Everything picture preview The Theory of Everything Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne in the forthcoming Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything Working Title Films