After all those denials that their marriage was on the rocks, it turns out Madonna and Guy Ritchie are just big fat liars. What would Sarah Palin say? Yes, Madge and Guy have confirmed they are to divorce after nearly eight years of marriage.
The couple issued a statement yesterday asking the media to "maintain respect for their family at this difficult time". Media reports suggest Madonna's keenness to adopt a second African child coupled with her desire to spend much more time in the US led to increasing conflict between the couple.
The full statement reads: "Madonna and Guy Ritchie have agreed to divorce after seven and a half years of marriage, their representatives confirmed today. They have both requested that the media maintain respect for their family at this difficult time. A final settlement has not been agreed upon yet".
With the statement made, all that remains now is to sort out the child custody and divide up the couple's reported $525 million wealth - only $35 million of which was generated by Ritchie (which is $35 million more than I'd have expected, do his films actually make money?). There was no pre-nuptial agreement, so sorting out the specifics of the divorce may take some time, though a report in the Sun says that Ritchie has said he's not interested in getting any of Madonna's money, so reports that he could be awarded the biggest divorce pay out in British history may not prove to be true.