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I must find out about my marriage split says F1 Bernie
Rashid Razaq21.11.08
FORMULA 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone today claimed he was unaware his wife was planning to divorce him.
The billionaire, 78, expressed surprise at the news that his wife of 24 years, former model Slavica, had initiated proceedings in what could be one of the biggest settlements in legal history. Mrs Ecclestone, 50, released a statement yesterday through PR agency Borkowski, announcing she has filed for divorce. However, when contacted by reporters Ecclestone, who at 5ft 4in is 10 inches shorter than his wife, responded: "Really? Oh ...we will see. I didn't even know she had a PR company. You hear of things - I must find out."
Mr Ecclestone claimed his wife had moved out of their £10 million Chelsea home because of the noise from builders renovating the house next door.
"They have taken the inside of their house to pieces. It was supposed to have been done in eight months and it is still going on," he added. Mrs Ecclestone is believed to have moved out while her husband was in Brazil watching Lewis Hamilton's Grand Prix victory. Her new home is said to be a flat owned by her daughter Petra's boyfriend.
A friend of Mrs Ecclestone said: "He did know about this. I think there is a slight case of trying to position himself as a wounded party." Mr Ecclestone is said to be worth £2.4 billion and is part owner of Queen's Park Rangers in addition to his Formula 1 interests.
