Madonna and Ritchie: Our marriage is over

MADONNA and her film-maker husband, Guy Ritchie, yesterday announced plans to divorce after nearly eight years of marriage.

The couple made the announcement in a joint statement released by Madonna's publicist, Liz Rosenberg.

Ms Rosenberg said the couple had asked the media to "maintain respect for their family at this difficult time".

She added that relations between Madonna and Ritchie remained cordial, and they expected to agree a settlement without going to court.

The announcement comes after months of speculation regarding their rocky marriage.

It had been reported that Madonna, 50, had wanted to wait until the end of her latest world tour before announcing the split.

Earlier yesterday, Madonna's spokeswoman, Barbara Charone, had declined to comment on reports that their relationship was over, but Ritchie's family had refused to quash the rumours.

The superstar couple's marriage looked finished in the summer when Madonna was spotted with New York Yankees baseball star Alex Rodriguez, and was cited as one of the reasons for the break-up of his marriage.

Weeks ago, Madonna and Ritchie appeared in a very public show of affection, at the premiere of his latest film, RocknRolla in Leicester Square.

The couple were married in December 2000 at Skibo Castle. The minister who married them yesterday said she was "very sad" to hear they planned to split.

Rev Susan Brown, who conducted the lavish ceremony and christened the couple's son Rocco, said: "It would be very upsetting if they divorced. I have fond memories of their marriage. It was a huge event.

"It is upsetting for anybody going through a divorce, especially couples with kids."

They have two children, Rocco, eight, and David Banda, three, whom they adopted from Malawi in 2006. Madonna also has a 12-year-old daughter, Lourdes, from a previous relationship with personal trainer Carlos Leon.

The couple are reportedly worth about £300 million.


Mockney dream went sour for the Material Girl

SHE got the country manor, London postcode and the "mockney" husband. He got A-list status, international fame and a superstar guarantee that his film premieres received maximum attention.

But now, after almost eight years of marriage, Madonna, 50, and Guy Ritchie, 40, have decided to call it quits.

Yesterday, the couple confirmed that they were seeking a divorce.

After meeting Ritchie in 1999 through their mutual friend Sting, Madonna embraced British life.

The pair were often spotted in London pubs and Madonna became a huge fan of British style, fashion and cockney rhyming slang.

Having been catapulted into the spotlight with the success of his 1998 film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Ritchie was on a high.

In 2000, he followed it up with the hit Snatch, starring Brad Pitt, and married Madonna at Skibo Castle in the Highlands. Guests included Gwyneth Paltrow, Rupert Everett and fashion designer Stella McCartney. The pair later bought a £12 million country estate in Wiltshire. But the cracks had started to appear.

Her husband wasn't used to the limelight his wife commanded. He was a middle-class English lad, ten years the junior of his high-flying bride who was an international pop sensation when he was still in his teens.

In 2005, Madonna revealed that she had thought about divorce, but instead the couple adopted their second child, David Banda, from Malawi. Meanwhile, Ritchie's career was stalling. with his wife's global popularity spiralling upwards as she signed a new record deal and performed to worldwide audiences.

Even Madonna's love of Britain was replaced by her new enthusiasm for Kabbalah and, as the pair went for marriage guidance counselling, it was clear the relationship was failing.

The pair were constantly apart.

Even yesterday, as the rumours intensified, Madonna was in Boston on a world tour while her husband was filming in France.

Mo Kurimbokus, a counsellor for Relate, said: "They didn't get the quality time needed to sustain the relationship. They may have become more like strangers and if you don't see each other, you can't sustain a relationship. You can have all the money and success in the world but if you don't talk to each other, your relationship will break down."

The couple's wealth has been put at an estimated £300 million, but the vast majority is thought to stem from the singer's 25-year career.

Divorce lawyer Andrew Newbury, of Manchester-based law firm Pannone, said: "If Guy Ritchie were to instigate proceedings in Britain then recent precedents mean Madonna would be facing the potential of a much larger settlement than if she lived in California."