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Sheila Johnson To Wed Judge Saturday

 

BET co-founder Sheila Johnson will get her groove back on Saturday when she weds Arlington, VA Circuit Judge William T. Newman Jr., the man who handled her divorce from her former husband and BET co-founder Robert L. Johnson.  

The wedding-to be held at Sheila Johnson’s Middleburg, VA estate, Salamander Farms-reportedly will be a "very country" affair, costing Johnson an amount "in the six figures." 

"The color theme is very, very fall,” said wedding designer Preston Bailey, whose clientele includes Donald Trump, Oprah and Liza Minnelli. "There will be lots of roses, beautiful orchids."  

Bailey also said the reception would include a "special performer … one of Dr. Johnson’s favorites."  

"She has amazing taste," he said. "I think this wedding is one of the most special ones we’ve done."  

Johnson, ended what she termed a "degrading" divorce from her ex-husband in 2002, because his philandering became too much for her, she said.

She first met Newman in her college years when they acted alongside each other with the revered Negro Ensemble Company in Washington, D.C. 

Then they met again, when she walked into an Arlington, Va. court house and he was presiding over her divorce proceedings. 

After the dissolution of her divorce, the two began dating.

Before Newman was appointed a judge he played a minor role in a soap opera and served as a Democrat on the Arlington County Board.

Now Johnson, who has an estimated $700 million, is using her assets to start a new life, which would include becoming president and managing partner of the Washington Mystics, owner of the Salamander Resort and Spa and to participate in various charitable works.