LONDON — Madonna has settled her divorce with ex-husband Guy Ritchie by also parting with at least 50 million pounds ($76 million), the singer’s spokeswoman said Monday.

Liz Rosenberg told The Associated Press the settlement was in the range of 50 million to 60 million pounds ($76 million to $92 million) as part of their divorce agreement, a figure she said included the value of the couple’s country home, Ashcombe House in western England, which Ritchie will keep.

Rosenberg said the couple’s west London pub _ the Punchbowl _ would also remain with Ritchie.

A representative for the British filmmaker declined comment.

The couple were reportedly worth some $525 million, the vast majority of which belonged to Madonna. Ritchie had an estimated $35 million fortune.

Their multimillion pound (dollar) settlement is about twice the size paid out in Britain’s latest high-profile celebrity divorce, that of former Beatle Paul McCartney and model Heather Mills.

“I’d assume it’s one of the largest payouts ever in a divorce settlement,” Rosenberg said.

The biggest contested divorce settlement in English history was the 48 million pounds (about $90 million at the time) insurance tycoon John Charman was ordered to pay his ex-wife in 2006.

—->>> HOPE MADONNA DIDNT HAVE HER DOUGH WITH MADOFF !!! OTHERWISE SHE IS FUCKED !!!!!!!!!!

GUY WANTS MORE TIME WITH SONS OVER MONEY !!

GO GUY !!!

ASSOCIATED PRESS LONDON — The show-business marriage that began in a Scottish castle came to an end in a drab London courtroom Friday as Madonna and Guy Ritchie were granted a preliminary decree of divorce.

Papers released by the court said Madonna petitioned for divorce on the basis of Ritchie’s “unreasonable behavior,” but did not elaborate.

Judge Phillip Waller ruled that he did not need to apply family law in the case _ meaning that he accepted an agreement reached by the couple over their assets and children.

Neither appeared at the brief court session, in which “Ciccone M L v Ritchie G S” was one of 17 cases given a preliminary decree. The divorce can become final after six weeks and a day,.

British news media reported, without identifying the sources of their information, that the couple had reached a settlement that would see the pop superstar keep the majority of her estimated 300 million pound ($445 million) fortune and share custody with Ritchie of their two children: Rocco, 8, and David Banda, 3, who was adopted from Malawi in 2006.

Madonna has a 12-year-old daughter, Lourdes, from a previous relationship with personal trainer Carlos Leon.

Requests for comment from representatives for the couple were not returned.

An agreement on terms would avert an expensive courtroom battle like the one between former Beatle Paul McCartney and model Heather Mills. Mills has said the media coverage of the rancorous divorce had pushed her to the brink of suicide; McCartney compared the process to going through hell.

Madonna and Ritchie, director of “Snatch” and “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” married in December 2000 at Skibo Castle in the Scottish Highlands.

Madonna and Ritchie announced last month they were divorcing. They own homes in London, Los Angeles and New York, and a 1,200-acre (480 hectare) retreat in England.

Single Guy: Ritchie emerges in a merry mood from another late night at his pub

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 9:51 AM on 05th November 2008

He’s no longer Mr Madonna, and Guy Ritchie appears to be revelling in his new found freedom.

The director emerged from his Mayfair pub just after 1:30am last night looking bleary-eyed and a little unsteady on his feet.

It’s the second time in a week he has enjoyed a late night at the Punch Bowl, the local pub he purchased this year.

Well refreshed: Guy Ritchie emerged from the Punch Bowl last night looking worse for wear

Ritchie is currently working on his next film project Sherlock Holmes in central London while his children are in New York with his estranged wife.

This week Ritchie hired a top lawyer in his battle with the singer 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.

Easy does it: Guy appeared a little unsteady on his feet

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.

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, Carlos Leon, 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-to-remove applications and he is the best in that area.’

Tug of war: Madonna at a New York Kabbalah Centre with Rocco, Lourdes and David last month

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. 

VERY DETAILED UPDATE FROM KAT GIANTIS AT MSN ENTERTAINMENT..

Please Say a Prayer for the Children of Madonna and Guy, this is very Traumatic for us and especially them, as children to see and hear their parents go through this divorce. I personally believe Madonna and Guy should be DOING WHAT is in the BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILDREN !!

Madonna & Guy: Insults Fly Amid New Romance Rumblings

The split saga continues, with allegations of slapping, poking, weeping and name-calling; plus, Lindsay’s ‘Ugly’ gig has everyone’s panties in a twist, third time may be lucky for Clooney, and more …   

Posted Oct. 23, 2008

Dignified is not a word that will be used to describe Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s parting of ways. A week after their divorce announcement, the bad blood continues to spill into the tabloids, several of which feature the backbiting former flames (he’s rumored to have called her a “granny” and likened her to “a piece of gristle”; she’s apparently labeled him a “gold digger” and “emotionally retarded”) front and center on their covers.

The latest chapter in their increasingly acrimonious split involves a possible new love interest for Ritchie, a child-centric settlement bonus, sports-related tears, a Christmas kerfuffle and allegations of mistreatment on both sides. Here’s a rundown:

 

Madonna’s bulging quads take center stage during a performance in Boston earlier this month. (©AP) More photos

Us Weekly touts the “real story” of the “lies, cheating and abuse” that did in Madonna and Guy’s seven-year, supposedly intimacy-lacking union.”She would taunt Guy, saying, ‘I should have married someone like me: strong, hot-blooded, intelligent, ambitious, spiritual,’” a Ritchie confidant tattles to the magazine. “Their fights would often get heated. A few times Madonna slapped him or poked him.”

In retaliation, he supposedly struck out at Madonna’s most vulnerable spots: her age, her preternaturally pumped-up body and her vocal stylings.

“Guy called her old, fat, ugly and wrinkled and said that she was stupid and couldn’t sing,” counters a Madonna insider.

That sure makes Ritchie, 40, sound like quite the catch, and it turns out there are already whispers that he’s been caught by a stunning redhead.

Seems he’s been spotted in proximity to British actress Kelly Reilly, who co-stars opposite Robert Downey Jr. in the director’s flick in filming, “Sherlock Holmes.”

 

Guy and Kelly Reilly attend a “Sherlock Holmes” press conference in London on Oct. 1. (©Hogan/Getty Images)

The Chicago Sun-Times says they were “looking very cozy” while breaking bread at a London eatery a few days back.

“It didn’t look like they were having a simple business dinner,” an eyewitness conclusion-leaps to the paper. “There was lots of hand-holding, looking longingly into each other’s eyes … and they were sitting side by side on a tiny banquette.”

An Us spy also noted their body language as they shared lunch on the set, recalling, “Kelly touched Guy’s arm and leaned in to him when she spoke.”

Ritchie’s rep, however, scoffs to the mag that the romance speculation is “absolutely untrue.”

Reilly, for her part, told the Times of London last month that she’s been flying back and forth between London and New York in order to be with her fiancé, Israeli actor Jonah Lotan.

As for Madonna’s connection to A-Rod, Us hints that there could be other factors involved in her adamantly denied “affair of the heart” with the New York Yankees star, who may be nearing a deal to buy a New York penthouse located just a couple of blocks away from the Big M’s pad.

“[Her manager] Guy Oseary knew Madonna and Guy were splitting and didn’t want this 50-year-old lady without a man,” snipes a source. “So he brought her together with Alex. He may be infatuated with her, but it was never this outrageous affair that ended the marriage.”

Life & Style believes that Madonna and Rodriguez, who has supposedly pledged to help her spread the word about her beloved Kabbalah, plan to make their well-muscled debut by the end of the year.

“She and Alex are definitely aiming to get together before Christmas,” asserts an insider.

But an Us source disagrees, insisting, “They will not be stepping out publicly. Maybe not ever. But they’re definitely romantic.”

Neither scenario is likely to lessen Ritchie’s ostensible angst over son Rocco, 8, sporting a Yankees T-shirt Monday in New York.

 

Guy and Madonna walk their last red carpet together at the London premiere of “RocknRolla” on Sept. 1. (©Retna Ltd.)

“He’s actually been crying over it,” an on-set “Sherlock” mole exaggerates totells Us. “He’s in a terrible state but is doing his best to be on form at work.”

According to the snitch, Guy was “in pieces” over photos of Rocco unwittingly making the loaded fashion statement, even though the tyke wore the same shirt while out with his dad in July, just after the A-Rod rumors surfaced.

“He said she is the ‘lowest of the low,’ and is even more determined to fight for his side now,” adds the source. “Madonna has hit the wrong button. He won’t sink to her level, but she better watch out because it seems he has a lot on her.”

Still, Ritchie may not be the only one shedding tears.

“She cries a lot,” a spy maintains to In Touch. “She thought the marriage would be for life.”

But now that happily-ever-after is off the table, the on-tour pop icon is apparently trying to make sure she’s able to pull the strings when it comes to Rocco, Lourdes, 12, and David, 3.

The London Daily Mail claims Madonna, whose fortune is estimated in the half-billion-dollar range, has offered to increase Guy’s cash settlement from around $25 million to $32 million in exchange for full kiddie control (he’s also expected to keep their country house and the London pub he co-owns).

“Madonna has said to Guy that if she ups the money, then would he agree to her setting out the access for the children until they turn 18,” says an insider. “Basically she is offering a cash incentive to him to encourage an amicable out-of-court agreement over the children … Madonna is keen to give Guy good access to the children — but on her terms.”

Terms that may not include jolly old St. Nick.

 

Madonna carries son David in New York on Oct. 1. (©WireImage.com)

The London Daily Mirror contends that Madonna is digging in her stilettos over his wish to treat the tykes to their “first traditional Christmas,” something their Kabbalah-devoted mom is said to be firmly against.

“What he wants more than anything, though, is to actually be with the kids at that time of year, and he just hopes Madonna can compromise,” explains a snitch, who points out that Ritchie has no grudge against the red string-festooned religion. “Guy has taken a lot from Kabbalah, and any talk of him being against it now is rubbish. But he’s also very much a British traditionalist, and he would love to pass on some of the flavor of a traditional Christmas to his kids.”

Speaking of Kabbalah, the Daily Mail believes it was at the center of a bitter argument that finally made Ritchie realize the marriage was irretrievably broken.

“Madonna had been moaning about his lack of support and lack of interest in what she has doing with Kabbalah,” blabs a source. “She told Guy she did not understand why she was ridiculed by the press for what she was doing with the religion. But Guy just reacted quite sarcastically and told her to ‘get over herself.’”

The insider says that’s when things “got a bit surreal,” with Madonna supposedly pointing out how she had been “chosen” to be a “spiritual guru.’”

Guy’s ostensible response: “Listen, love, you’re just a singer,’” to which Madonna — and take this with a biceps-size grain of salt, people — is said to have channeled aBeatles-era John Lennon by replying, “Listen, baby, I’m bigger than Jesus.’”

“Guy was dumbfounded,” relays the mole. “At that point, he realized that he really had lost her to the Kabbalah. From that point on, Guy felt totally alienated from Madonna.”

—

Madonna and Guy Ritchie are lining up for what could become the costliest divorce in British legal history.After weeks of frenzied speculation, Madonna’s U.S. spokesman Liz Rosenberg yesterday confirmed the pair’s marriage was over.

‘Madonna and Guy Ritchie have agreed to divorce after seven and a half years of marriage,’ her statement read.

After months of denying rumours their marriage was in trouble Madonna and Guy Ritchie, both seen yesterday, have announced they are to divorce

‘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.’

The singer is understood to have already offered Ritchie their country estate Ashcombe House, which is worth some £12million, plus a lump sum of as little as £15million.

But legal experts estimate that he could fight for up to £75million, comprising half the estimated £80million they have earned between them over their ten-year relationship, a further regular maintenance payout and properties.

Such an amount would dwarf Britain’s largest divorce settlement so far of £48million, paid by insurance magnate John Charman to wife Beverley in 2006.

Madonna, who has an estimated personal fortune of £275million, has already lined up a fearsome legal team including the so- called ‘Steel Magnolia’ Fiona Shackleton and Nicholas Mostyn QC, the lawyers Sir Paul McCartney employed for his vicious two-year divorce battle with Heather Mills.

 

Sombre: Madonna returns to her New York apartment last night as reports of her imminent divorce from Guy Ritchie intensified

However friends of Ritchie’s argue that, after a combative marriage, we can expect a peaceful divorce. Those hoping for a high-profile spat will be disappointed, they say.

‘He won’t take a penny,’ one of his drinking companions told the Mail.

The sticking point, as the couple begin their life continents apart, could be custody and visiting rights for their children  -  Lourdes, 12 (Madonna’s daughter from a previous relationship), Rocco, eight, and David Banda, their adopted Malawian two-year-old.

The Mail has learned that Madonna and Ritchie called time on their marriage after months of arguing over a wide range of issues.

In happier times: Madonna, Guy, Rocco and Lourdes attend a London film premiere in January 2007

The rows culminated in an almighty fall- out last Friday in which the singer gave her husband an ultimatum to move from London to New York with her. Ritchie, 40, reacted furiously and refused to relocate  -  sealing their fate.

‘Guy just went mad saying there was no way he was moving abroad away from his roots and family on a whim just because Madonna desired another of her notorious image changes,’ a well-placed source told the Mail last night.

‘Madonna was incensed, telling him “either you’re in or out”.’

It was the tipping point in a long battle which has seen them become increasingly alienated, to the point where they were communicating through their PAs.

‘It has become so bad that they cannot be in a room together for more than a few minutes without having a shouting match,’ the source said.

‘Over the weekend they spoke more calmly and admitted they had only been staying together for the children and had been living a lie.’

Guy recently started shooting his latest film Sherlock Holmes, which stars Robert Downey Jr (left)

Cracks in the marriage were apparent in June, when they attended marriage counselling with Kabbalah elders near their home in London. They emerged with a plan they hoped would save their marriage.

Both pledged to reduce their work schedules and not to be apart for more than a week at a time. They also pledged to support one another’s interests and when necessary, career choices.

And Madonna also agreed to postpone her plans for another adoption until next year. However, Madonna apparently broke the rules almost immediately.

‘Madonna just completely ignored what they had agreed, focused on her new world tour, focused on herself and just shut Guy out. It was almost as if she was saying to him “You’re not my boss”.’

And she is said to be pushing ahead on the adoption of the threeyear old Malawian girl.

Family ties: Madonna with Lourdes and her adopted son David

The couple have also argued about their religious beliefs.

Said the source: ‘Madonna believes the reason she is a world icon is that she has somehow been chosen to channel messages to the masses.

‘She feels her destiny has been preordained. Guy on the other hand thinks that’s a load of b*******.

‘Kabbalah to him is about spiritual enlightenment and being one with yourself and the world.’

And in recent months, Guy’s confidence in his career has grown, with the success of his latest film RockNRolla.

‘Guy has felt emasculated throughout the marriage,’ the source said.

‘But getting into a major project that has done so well has really given Guy a major confidence boost. And it has been that confidence which allowed him to stand up to Madonna and tell her he was not going to put up with her any more.’

In the end, it was Madonna’s plan that the family should move to America which sealed their fate.

One well-placed source said: ‘Madonna told him that she had tired of Britain and the British press who had crucified her over the adoption of David Banda.’

By that time, she had already been spending increasing amounts of time in New York  -  and that brought its own dangers.

 Madonna denied an affair with Alex Rodriguez, seen with ex-wife Cynthia

There have been rumours of her growing closeness to the U.S. baseball player Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod), and she has been spotted dining with him recently in New York.

‘Madonna has a growing closeness with A-Rod. It’s nothing sexual, it’s what you might call a non-physical affair,’ the source said. ‘But the point is that Madonna clearly feels A-Rod nourishes her in some way that Guy cannot.’

Perhaps worst of all, the couple have not shared a bed in almost a year, the source claims.

The writing was on the wall on October 6 when Madonna cryptically announced to a New York concert audience: ‘In exactly 29 moves, the Queen will dump the King.’ She then had 29 more dates on her U.S. tour.

But in the light of yesterday’s announcement, it seems she simply could not wait that long.

Significantly, the couple are already getting on with their different lives in Britain and America.

Yesterday, while Guy was directing his latest film, about Sherlock Holmes, at a closed studio in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Madonna was preparing for a concert in Boston as part of her current world tour.

What’s at stake?

Over their time together the couple have together amassed an estimated £80 million with Madonna’s successful albums and world tour bringing in the main part of those earnings.

Guy could argue that he should get half of that - some £40 million - since he has supported her in her career and that she would not have been so successful without his unerring backing.

On top of that, Guy’s legal team might argue that he should be entitled to properties in London, New York and even Los Angeles to enable him to enjoy meaningful access to the couple’s children. He could argue that the properties should be worth as much as the properties they currently own in the three cities - which have a combined value of some £35 million. 

Their main London residence in marylebone, left, was bought in 2001 for £7million while this £6million property next door, right, houses Madonna’s gym

Their £12million Wiltshire country home Ashcombe House, left, bought in 2001 and their ten-bedroom Beverly Hills mansion, right, was bought for £8million

Guy could therefore walk away with £75 million - the largest settlement in British legal history. The current record divorce settlement is £48million, paid by insurance magnate John Charman to wife Beverley in 2006 after 29 years of marriage. 

Guy could increase the amount if he can persuade a judge that his earning power has been damaged by the marriage.

In the marriage he became involved with such things as failed film projects with as the disastrous movie project Swept Away which starred his wife - and a complex bid to adopt Malawian boy David Banda - that left career and earning power damaged.
His most famous and successful films, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, both came out before the couple married and every film since has been critically panned. 

The Kabbalah Hotel in London, left, was bought for £1.6million in 205 while the Punchbowl in Mayfair cost them £2.5million

The Kabbalah Centre in the West End cost £3.6million,left, while Madonna’s New York penthouse, right, is worth £2million

Madonna’s lawyers - Fiona Shackleton and Nicholas Mostyn - will no doubt argue, as they did for Paul McCartney that it was Madonna’s unique special talent as a pop superstar that kept the money rolling in through the marriage, and had little to do with Mr Ritchie’s continuing support as her husband.

The issue of custody and access to their three children is also extremely complex.
Madonna is on tour in Boston with all three children, looked after by a team of nannies, while Mr Ritchie directs his new Sherlock Holmes film in London.
But they both could argue that they should equally share care of all three children alternately in New York and London.

Madonna may argue that because Lourdes has a good relationship with her father, Madonna’s former fitness trainer Carlos Leon, that she should not longer be required to have to contact with Guy. Lourdes will be able to decide whether she wants to keep having contact with Guy.

Guy may argue that because Rocco is his son who he spends more time with than Madonna, that he should live with him in London and at their Wiltshire estate, Ashcombe House.

David Banda was adopted by both Guy and Madonna but conceivably, Malawian authorities might deem that his recent adoption should now be under review because the marriage is over and that little David might end up in the less than satisfactory circumstances of living between New York and London between adoptive parents who have now split up.

A court might also deem that the three children should not be split up and should remain with their mother. Courts most often side with mothers deeming them the primary carers. That might therefore mean that Guy has a fight on his hands to get meaningful regular access to his beloved Rocco

-VERY SAD !! TRAGIC FOR THE CHILDREN !!

Source Daily Mail UK

It is almost two years to the day since that drama on the tarmac of Malawi’s Lilongwe airport, when Madonna’s private jet was refused permission to take off with David Banda on board.

The singer was impatient to fly the boy back to Britain after spotting him in an orphanage and deciding that he was the one she wanted - the one child, out of the million orphans in Malawi, whom she was going to adopt.

The usually ruthlessly efficient Madonna had made one small oversight: she’d forgotten to apply for a passport for the then 13-month-old.

The tense scene at the airport illustrated well her mighty struggle to adopt the child. 

She was accused of ‘fast-tracking’ the adoption because under Malawian law, prospective parents have to be resident in the country for 18 months before adoption can be approved. 

Madonna, 50, may have embarked on a mission to save the country with her Raising Malawi project, but she sure as hell didn’t fancy sticking around there for 18 months waiting for the go-ahead to take David back to her Marylebone townhouse. 

There was further controversy because David was not actually an orphan. His mother, Marita, had died a few days after he was born, but his father Yohane was alive and had placed the child in an orphanage because at the time he was unable to cope with the baby. 

David, of course, arrived safely in Britain a few days after that stand-off and was greeted at Heathrow Airport by a frantic scrum of photographers, journalists and television crews. 

A taste of things to come. The infant who had been born in a hut in the remote village of Lipunga to a father who earned £50 a year growing onions and tomatoes now has his own room in a Marylebone townhouse, ridiculously expensive toys and clothes, and his food prepared by a team of macrobiotic chefs. And everywhere he goes, he is accompanied by a huge, crazy entourage. 

But this madness, the Madonna circus, was supposed to be balanced by a stable family life. 

With the announcement that his adoptive parents are to divorce, that is no longer the case. 

One of the key factors in the breakdown of the marriage is said to have been Guy’s opposition to Madonna’s desire to adopt another Malawian child, three-year-old girl Mercy James. 

And now there is yet more uncertainty and anguish in the life of the boy they did adopt. 

Back in Malawi, the news of the divorce has met with dismay. The majority of Malawians are devout Christians who believe strongly in marriage and the family. 

Yesterday a child protection organisation, Eye of the Child, said it would be closely monitoring the situation. 

‘We will be watching to make sure that the interests of David have been observed in the divorce,’ its executive director, Maxwell Mateware, said. 

‘If that is not the case we will go to court in Malawi to ensure that he is protected.’ 

Of course no one can deny that David’s prospects in Malawi were bleak and that he is now a healthy child who wants for nothing. 

But has he ever really known a happy home life? It seems the problems between Madonna and Guy were going on even when they were in Malawi to adopt him. 

According to sources out there, they were sleeping in separate beds at their lodge. They weren’t happy. David was, in part, an attempt to revive the marriage. 

Whether the growing chasm between Madonna and Guy manifested itself in screaming matches, hurt, sulky silences, or both, it is unlikely that little David has been able to be protected entirely from the misery of the disintegrating, now defunct marriage. Even if he is palmed off with the nanny most of the time. 

With his nanny: David Banda at Guy’s 40th birthday bash

It was the nanny who arrived with David at Guy’s 40th birthday party last month at The Punch Bowl, the Mayfair pub owned by the couple. David was decked out in designer tartan and the nanny wore a matching hat. 

Whatever upheaval David now faces, there will be at least one constant in his life: there will be no shortage of cute outfits. 

So what now? Once the divorce has been finalised, it seems likely that Guy will remain in England  -  it has been reported that he will keep Ashcombe House, the country estate in Wiltshire  -  while Madonna will spend more time in America. 

Madonna is David’s mother, she is a controlling woman. She is certain to want David to be with her. Whatever-settlement is reached, it seems likely that Madonna, by virtue of being the mother, will be granted primary custody of David. 

When it became clear that the marriage was terminal earlier this year, Madonna took off to New York, where she feels most comfortable. 

In June, she took David to a game of the Cincinnati Reds versus the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. 

She was also seen out and about with David  -  and nanny in tow of course  -  along with her friend, Gwyneth Paltrow. And, of course, there was a visit with David to the Kabbalah Centre. 

Madonna is obsessed with her own celebrity version of the mystical religion. But whether David will share her enthusiasm is another matter. 

New York could become his new home and he faces the prospect of much criss-crossing back and forth across the Atlantic in order to see Guy back in Britain. In time, he may have to get to know a new stepmother and a new stepfather. 

The immediate future, however will be taken up with visiting the various cities on the itinerary of his mother’s Sticky & Sweet tour. 

At the end of last month, Madonna took David and her other son, Rocco, out for a walk in Athens  -  where she was performing a concert  -  accompanied, as usual by the massive entourage. 

The entourage is a part of David’s life, but he continues to appear bewildered by their presence, as if always looking back at his previous life in Malawi. 

However much he is spoilt and pampered, however many rocking horses, child- sized BMWs and state-of-the-art music systems and designer outfits his mother buys him, nothing has been able to take away that haunted look in his eyes. 

Happier times: Guy Ritchie and Madonna

He will be lucky, as he grows older, to escape feelings of guilt over the fact that he has another father, who lives in a village in Malawi where there is no running water or electricity, where the evening meal is nsima, a type of gruel made from maize flour, cooked over a log fire. 

His mother’s obsession these days is to stay looking as young as possible as she enters her 50s. In Malawi, where an estimated 38 per cent of the population are infected with HIV/AIDS, anyone who reaches that age is regarded as lucky. 

His father has remarried and he and his new wife, Flora, have a young son, Dingiswayo, who is nearly three months old. 

Dingiswayo, if he is lucky enough to grow into a healthy adult, will become a farmer like his father. 

David, meanwhile, will attend a private school somewhere close to where his divorced mother decides to settle. Dingiswayo will grow up in obscurity; David will be scrutinised wherever he goes. 

At the outset, when the adoption furore began, David’s father Yohane gave a number of interviews  -  contradictory at times, it must be admitted  -  which implied he had been given the impression he would still be David’s father. 

The nice rich lady would simply be taking care of David for him and offering him a better life. 

He did not appear to understand the full implications of what he had agreed to do. All of this will weigh heavily on David in the future. 

Now that his parents are to divorce, will David still get a sister from Malawi? You might think that Madonna would now give up her plans to adopt Mercy, but Madonna is used to getting her way. 

If it happens, David, no doubt, will welcome his new sister as an addition to this now broken family with heartfelt joy. It will bring him closer to Malawi and to his roots. 

Back in Lipunga, Yohane will today be thinking of the son he gave away  -  and wondering if it was a huge mistake for him, but most of all for a confused little boy called David. 

A long way from London: David Banda’s former home in Malawi

—-

Madonna and Guy.. Just have to say.. You dont adopt or have children if you know that your gonna divorce within a year or so of doing so. I really feel for the kids, they shouldnt have to deal with this trauma.. I mean come on.. Madonna.. I love you .. but Still.. This doesnt make sense.?? Committment? to not only you and Guy? but what about the kids.. Cant believe you would consider possibly adopting after putting yourself and children through this tragic experience. Sorry.. My opinion.. My heart goes out to the kids. 

Source of this Article and pictures is Daily Mail UK

Madonna’s rep released a statement this morning saying the singer and her filmmaker husband are divorcing. The statement said the couple have not agreed to a settlement.

Because the celebrity couple live primarily in London, the divorce is expected to move through courts there - although it’s considered likely the pair will come to a multimillion-dollar settlement, according to the source.

Another source said the split comes after a last-ditch attempt by the pair to save their flailing union with an intensive kabbalah course in Manhattan.

British “Snatch” director Ritchie flew into New York a few weeks ago specifically to undergo instruction with his wife to try to patch things up, but to no avail, the source said.

The news also broke in London via The Sun, with a source telling the newspaper that Madonna and Ritchie “can’t bear to live with the pretense any longer.

“It’s very sad. They were a great couple and brilliant parents. They just couldn’t live together.

“Despite huge attempts to patch things up, they both knew deep down that divorce was in the cards. It wasn’t a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when.’ They tried hard over the past few months, but their fighting was getting out of control.

“The final straw came before Madonna started her US tour.”

The British paper said the 50-year-old singer wanted to wait to announce the pair’s split until after her global “Sticky and Sweet” tour.

But their fighting got so bad that Ritchie, 40, just wanted out, and Madonna finally agreed, the tabloid said.

The pair has three children between them: Lourdes, 12, Madonna’s daughter from her relationship with actor and personal trainer Carlos Leon; and Ritchie and Madonna’s sons, Rocco, 8, and David, 2.

The pair has bitterly fought over everything from their kids to where they should live: the United States or England, sources said.

Madonna wanted to be back in the States more, as did Lourdes so she could see her father, The Post’s sources said. Madonna also reportedly wants to adopt another child, which Ritchie is against.

A representative for the pair did not return a phone call or e-mail from The Post last night.

When reached by The Sun, a spokeswoman for Madonna declined comment.

The reported split comes after months of speculation over Madonna’s cozy relationship with Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez, whose estranged wife, Cynthia, said the singer had “brainwashed” her hubby.

C-Rod told a pal she believes that her kabbalah-loving husband and Madonna had an “affair of the heart.”

Meanwhile, Madonna and Ritchie raised eyebrows just two days ago when Ritchie failed to appear at the New York premiere of a comedy Madonna directed, “Filth and Wisdom.”

source: SPLITSVILLE AT LAST FOR MADONNA [new york post]

(CNN) — Pop star Madonna and her film director husband Guy Ritchie are to divorce, Madonna’s UK spokeswoman, Moira Bellas, confirmed to CNN.

  

A statement e-mailed to The Associated Press from Madonna spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg says the couple has agreed to divorce, and asks the media to respect their privacy.

The statement, co-signed by Ritchie’s representative, says the couple had not agreed to a settlement.

The Sun newspaper — a British tabloid — first reported Wednesday that the couple would announce the split imminently.

Ritchie, 40, and Madonna married seven years ago at a lavish ceremony in Scotland, but rumors have been circulating in the press recently that their relationship was increasingly under strain.

Earlier this year, the singer denied being involved romantically with New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez was eventually divorced from his wife.

The last time the couple was seen together in public was in September, when Madonna took a break from touring to celebrate her husband’s birthday at a London pub.

A recent escalation in rows led to Madonna and Ritchie communicating via their personal assistants, The Sun reported.

“Despite huge attempts to patch things up they both know deep down that divorce was on the cards. It wasn’t a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when,” The Sun, quoting a source, reported. 

The couple have two children together — Rocco, 8, and David, 3, adopted from Malawi in 2006. Madonna also has a daughter, Lourdes, 12, from a previous relationship with dancer Carlos Leon.

Madonna, who turned 50 earlier this year, was previously married to U.S. actor Sean Penn from 1985 to 1989.

The British Press Association said that Ritchie has broken off from filming in France to fly back to the UK to inform his parents of the split.

Ritchie made his name with 1998’s “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” a London gangster movie hailed by critics, who called him the British version of U.S. director Quentin Tarantino.

He continued the successful directing style with “Snatch” and “Revolver,” but he bombed with “Swept Away” in 2002, which featured his wife. The deserted-island story grossed just $600,000 and was pulled from theaters after three weeks.

His latest film is “RocknRolla,” currently showing in London, New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto, is set for release across the U.S on October 31.

According to The Sun, Madonna had wanted to wait until the end of her Sticky and Sweet global tour before announcing the news. But the date has now been brought forward with both parties wanting a divorce finalized before Christmas, it reported.

However, divorce lawyer Jeremy Abraham told CNN that such a swift resolution would be unlikely.

“By my calculations, the earliest it’s likely they could be divorced is the middle of February next year,” he said.

With Madonna worth hundreds of millions of dollars, Abraham added that he hoped the couple would be instituting an agreed plan to separate, rather than following the “Mills-McCartney nightmare” and fighting for a financial settlement through the courts.

After an acrimonious separation from Paul McCartney, Heather Mills was awarded a settlement of almost $50 million in March this year

These are the first pictures from the big screen adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes novels.  In his bowler hat and smoking jacket Robert Downey Jr has stepped back in time and into the role of the popular detective.  Guy Ritchie, who directs the movie, joined Downey on location in London today for the first day of filming. I wonder how Robert will do in this role - I don’t really see him as Sherlock Holmes but people are saying his British accent for the move “is spot on”.  Jude Law plays his side kick Dr. Watson.  Either way Robert is a great actor and I am sure he will do a good job!

Source Celeb Diry Laundry