Morning:
8°c
With a single dessert and just two glasses of wine our bill was kept in check - but the effort of doing so was not much fun
Latest: Gordon Brown apologises for his poor handwriting and for misspelling the name of a dead soldier in a letter to the young man’s mother
More...
Guy fights to keep his kids in UK
By Robert Mendick, London Lite Last updated at 12:04pm on 04.11.08Guy Ritchie has hired a top lawyer in his battle with Madonna over where their children should live.
Stephen Cobb, QC, is regarded as the leading specialist in divorce cases in which the country of residence of the children is in dispute.
Madonna is understood to want to move back to the US after eight years of marriage to Ritchie, during which they made London their base. The couple are locked in a bitter legal dispute over their children and the payout Madonna, 50, will have to make to 40-year-old Ritchie.
Battle: Guy is determined to keep his children in the UK
They have one son together, eight-year-old Rocco who was born in the US, and they jointly adopted David, three, from Malawi in 2006. Madonna also has a daughter, 12-year-old Lourdes, whose father lives in New York.
The singer cannot take the children to live with her permanently in the US unless she either gets permission from Ritchie or an English court grants her leave. Mr Cobb is an expert in Britain on "leaveto-remove cases".
One source said: "There are only a handful of barristers who specialise in leave-toremove applications and he is the best in that area." Madonna is being represented by Fiona Shackleton, who acted for Prince Charles and Sir Paul McCartney.
Some sources suggest Ritchie and Madonna will settle their dispute at a mediation hearing.
But one source said the two sides were "miles apart". Madonna, who is worth an estimated £300m, risks losing as much as half of her fortune to film director Ritchie. Mr Cobb today refused to comment on his involvement in the case.
Related articles
Reader views (12)
Well, if being busy looking after the 3 kids would stop him making any more films, let 'em stay! I somehow doubt that it would curtail his pursuit of his career, though.
- Helen, London, UK
Please keep Madonna in England, we have enough rich Garbage here in the USA!!!!
- Theresa, USA
Gee its no wonder their marrige ended everyone has an opinion about it. None of us know what really went on, its just guess work and .. "a close friend' said blah, blah. I mean how much of hearsay goes on even in our mundane lives, let alone when you are in the public eye, they should just be left alone to get on with it.
- K Lewis, Australia
Well said Janey....Simon come on Madonna never moved over here coz guy wanted her to....guy does not want her to stay here i dont think he really cares what she does its the kids that he wants which i think a lot of people lose sight of...the press should really be carefull what they write as there kids have to read all that rubbish.....x
- Nicole, Scotland
Madonna is nothing more than a bully - I hope Guy wins against the Madonna machine and keeps his little boy in the UK where he belongs with his father....
- Abf, London, UK
Let's face it, she is a talented an actress as he is a director.
But she is good in other areas. He is not.....
- Peter, London
If you watched I'M GOING TO TELL YOU A SECRET, you can tell she loved him and gave it her all. It has clearly become emasculating for him that she has become more and more successful whereby he is a two-bit filmmaker who no-one will remember in 5 years time (apart from being "former Mr. Madonna").
I am sad for both of them, but he is a one-trick pony. You can't help but admire her longevity....and admit his demise.
- Dana, Newcastle
Marriage is very complicated. They got married for different reasons and with different espectations. American women have this fantasy for British guys and thier accent and so its all bulit around fantasies. When Madge came to Britain newly she wnet on and on about congestion charge and the british media plus the woman has had her way all her life and has benevr been 'under' a man. It would taking falling 'seriuosly' in love with a guy...I mean like 'no air' kind of live for her to commit to a man...'
My suggestion is for Madge to just stay single or create a 'United Nation' in her home like Angelina Jolie..and chanel her love towards kids and people who need her..that way love can find her when she is not looking.....or she can even remain single and be happy...trust me when u make a difference in someone else's life, the joy you get from that is better than any kind of vanity.... Look for a good cause Madge...stop pushing yourself too far...you can age gracefully. You've had a wonderful career!
- Cece, New York, USA
No Simon, she moved here because she wanted to 'play' at being an earth mother and didn't quite achieve it due to the fact that she wasn't home enough to portray it.
That front cover on Vogue of her in a lady of the manor get up feeding chickens made me pee myself laughing!
She is a selfish madam who thinks she can just stamp her feet and get her own way but she has met her match in Guy, he is not interested in her tantrums.
- Janey C, Inverness Scotland
Didn't she move to London because of him, now he wants to stop her moving back with the kids once they have divorced? Talk about wanting your cake and eating it.
She moved here because of him, rasied kids, yet his career has gone nowehere, and she has earned 20-30 times more than him in their time together, now he wants the kids and half her money.
This Guy has no self respect.....
- Simon, London
Do you think if Guy put forward the fact that Madonna is a terrible actress it may help him to win some rights in regards to the kids????
Tee Hee
- Janey C, inverness scotland
I sympathise with Guy but unfortunately the law in this country is stacked against fathers and I suspect the best he can hope for is delay the inevitable, unless he argues that Madonna is a bad mother.
- Bob, London
