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Madonna divorce rumours grow as Guy 'sees family lawyers'
Robert Mendick, Chief Reporter27 Jun 2008
Madonna and Guy Ritchie were facing increasing speculation over the state of their marriage today amid reports that she has asked for a divorce.
The singer was said to have directly told her film director husband she wants to end their seven-year marriage.
Ritchie was also reported to have taken informal legal advice from a family law firm. The reports in today's Daily Mirror come amid mounting concern that the couple will split in a move which could lead to protracted legal negotiation over their assets.
Jointly the couple are estimated to be worth £300 million in this year's Sunday Times Rich List.
Much of that wealth is due to 49-year-old Madonna's lengthy musical career but Ritchie, 39, has an estimated £20 million in revenue from previous films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch and projected future earnings from a new movie.
A friend told theMirror: "They were very calm. They both knew the relationship was over. Madonna told Guy, 'I'm sorry I want a divorce'. He agreed.
"It was quite painless, but obviously very sad." Another friend told the newspaper that he was nurturing hopes of rekindling the relationship and was now spending time alone at their Wiltshire estate while Madonna is in New York with the children.
"He's a bit down in the dumps, and who can blame him. He's off to the country to get a bit of peace and quiet," the friend said. Ritchie is understood to have sought informal legal advice from Forsters, a law firm which specialises in "high net worth" family law cases.
A spokesman for the firm said: "We are not acting for Guy Ritchie in this matter." The head of its family division, Ann Northover, said: "I can only say I have no involvement at the moment."
There is also speculation that Madonna has sought advice from Fiona Shackleton, Sir Paul McCartney's divorce lawyer. Her firm Payne Hicks Beach has refused to comment.
A spokeswoman for Madonna said: "We have no comment to make."
The couple have one child of their own, Rocco, seven, and have adopted Malawian two-year-old David, while Madonna has 11-year-old Lourdes.
Ritchie is said to want to avoid an open court battle over the couple's wealth. A source told the Mirror: "Guy is a decent bloke, full stop. It's not his style to start profiteering from such sorry circumstances. He's got too much respect for his wife and children."
Any legal agreement will have to decide how much of the couple's wealth predates their marriage in Scotland in 2000. The couple own the £10 million Wiltshire estate, a £7 million Marylebone townhouse, four other London properties and several homes in America.
