Madonna, Ritchie to divorce
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Updated
Tense times: Madonna and Guy Ritchie confirm they are getting a divorce. (Reuters: Eric Gaillard)
Pop megastar Madonna and her British film director husband Guy Ritchie have agreed to divorce after seven-and-a-half years of marriage, a spokeswoman for the singer has confirmed.
Madonna, who is in the middle of her Sticky And Sweet world tour, married Ritchie in December 2000 in a lavish ceremony at a Scottish castle after meeting at a dinner party hosted by British rock star Sting.
The couple have an eight-year-old son, Rocco, and a three-year-old son, David Banda - adopted from Malawi.
Madonna also has a daughter, 12-year-old Lourdes, by her former fitness trainer Carlos Leon.
"Madonna and Guy Ritchie have agreed to divorce after seven-and-a-half years of marriage," Madonna's spokeswoman said.
"They have both requested that the media maintain respect for their family at this difficult time."
The spokeswoman for the 50-year-old singer would be providing no further details.
The confirmation followed a report in Britain's Sun tabloid quoting a source who said Ritchie, 40, had pushed for the split.
A "highly-placed sourced" told The Sun that the couple "just couldn't live together anymore" after arguing incessantly over the amount of time devoted to their respective careers and Madonna's desire to adopt another child.
'Dead weight around his neck'
In July, Madonna took the rare step of issuing a formal denial of reports linking her to Yankees baseball star Alex Rodriguez, adding in the statement: "My husband and I are not planning on getting a divorce."
But according to The Sun, Ritchie - the director of British gangster films including Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels - has become frustrated.
He sees his superstar spouse as a "dead weight around his neck" and now wants a divorce settlement to be agreed upon quickly, the source was quoted as saying.
"Guy's said if they were going to split, it has to be now - and their marriage will finally be over in a matter of weeks," the source told The Sun.
Ritchie's mother Lady Amber Leighton made no comment to reporters who gathered outside her west London home, saying only: "We are not talking to press and we won't be all day".
Madonna is believed to be in Boston.
Her tour includes dates in the United States and Canada over the next few weeks. Her next stop is Toronto on Saturday.
Strains
Top British celebrity publicist Max Clifford says that marriages between two high-profile people are bound to have strains.
"It's always difficult for two people very much in the public spotlight, that have successful careers, to also have a successful relationship," he told Sky News television.
"It's almost a conflict because of the demands of the business, the demands of the career... You can only see potential clashes along the way and possibly that's what's been happening," he added.
Madonna - born Madonna Louise Ciccone - was previously married to US actor Sean Penn, from 1985 to 1989.
In July, Madonna's estranged brother said he believed she was committed to her marriage to Ritchie.
"She's not the kind of person just to walk away," Christopher Ciccone told US television, adding that the pop legend would "do what's best for her family and her kids."
Madonna is widely regarded as the world's highest-earning female singer with Forbes.com putting her top of its "Cash Queens of Music" earlier this year. Between June 2006 and June 2007, Madonna reportedly earnt $US72 million.
- AFP
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Comments (13)
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ravensclaw:
16 Oct 2008 9:20:09am
Maybe now Ritchie can go back to doing what he does best and loves.
Madonna bending his arm to star in his movies was poor form.
I hope one day to see a Ritchie Zombie Flick, Lock Stock Style. One can only dream. :)
Marrying a woman like Madonna was always going to be a tough ask. Just ask Sean Penn. :)
I must admit I find it odd that Madonna wanted to adopt an African child as her marriage was failing.
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Remark:
16 Oct 2008 9:36:02am
This is newsworthy? Come on, ABC, you sell your audience and yourselves by running this no-value fluff. Leave it to the gossip magazines.
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Andrew:
16 Oct 2008 11:04:04am
Madonna sure has the media at her finger tips. Nowadays she is just a try hard copy cat, but still manages to capture the media.
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Aja:
16 Oct 2008 9:21:32am
Do we really care about this? Why is it front page news? Why cant the media leave peoples private lives alone?
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Darren:
16 Oct 2008 9:35:54am
Um, it seems that you may have accidentally clicked on the link to the story, read it and then commented on it...
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Aja:
16 Oct 2008 11:39:00am
I read the story about Madonna and Ritchie divorcing....didnt click on to any link LOL
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thelonenut:
16 Oct 2008 9:36:31am
Taste is a personal thing - but there's no harm expressing an opinion, I guess. Guy Ritchie has to be one of the most overrated film directors in recent years - all he comes out with are boring violent and fairly inane films. Ditto with Madonna's music, apart from the violence.
Their lives also are boring to me.......Agree (0) Alert moderator
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blax5:
16 Oct 2008 11:08:49am
These people have highly paid PR agents who must get them in the media to attract interest in their tours, films, CDs etc. If you're not a talking point, you won't sell products/tickets - so anything is fair game, and we have to put up with space taken up by the Hilton girl category.
Being on the Forbes richlist, makes them a person of importance and interest; the higher up you are, the easier it is for PR agents to warm you up as a talking point.Agree (0) Alert moderator
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John O:
16 Oct 2008 9:33:02am
We are at the beginning of a worldwide depression and we are asked to comment on this?
Well done auntie. Labour Party doesn't want us discussing the wasted 10bn about to be spent on a short term retail splurge and the nice artificial housing boost?Agree (1) Alert moderator
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J C Denton:
16 Oct 2008 10:00:02am
wow a story goes from being about madonna break up to how labor has now stuffed the economy
"We are at the beginning of a worldwide depression and we are asked to comment on this?
Well done auntie. Labour Party doesn't want us discussing the wasted 10bn about to be spent on a short term retail splurge and the nice artificial housing boost?"
Libs are stretching to get some mileage hey.
And on this I like guy Ritchies movies, hate Madonnas music and she would probally be some mass control freak. Hopefully now we can get a few more good movies out of him with out here popping up!Agree (0) Alert moderator
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renn:
16 Oct 2008 10:01:28am
Madonna would be a hard act to follow.
Guy probally is frustrated trying to keep up with her.
I have the utmost repect for her achievements.
It made me feel sad when I read she didnt think the relationship is over but he decribed her as 'a weight around his neck'. Sounds like he cant handle being without, while shes away.
She will cope anyway as shes a tough cookie.Agree (0) Alert moderator
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PShaw:
16 Oct 2008 11:24:13am
Seven-and-a-half years with Madonna? That alone must be worth an award, surely? Or what sort of masochist is this person?
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Anne:
16 Oct 2008 11:24:51am
Yes the "7 Year Itch". ...
Astounded it lasted so long.
Americans always want to marry into British Royalty.
Not surprised "Lady Leighton" didn't comment.
Hope the split brings much better music from her and films from him. Gotta have an up side.Agree (0) Alert moderator
