Madonna and Ritchie separated for six months before divorce
Madonna and Guy Ritchie lived separate lives for at least six months before their divorce - proving the couple were living a lie long before they announced their break-up.
They announced their separation last month and were finally granted a decree nisi by
a judge in London on Friday.
The pair was rumoured to have split as early as this summer, but kept the news of the break-up secret - repeatedly denying rumours of a rift and putting on a united front at public events.
But now court documents show that Madonna petitioned for divorce at least six months ago and the couple have been living apart ever since, with the singer citing Ritchie's "unreasonable behaviour" as the reason behind the split.
Although the date of the petition was not released, it was clear that the relationship was effectively over long before the couple's last public appearance together, at the premiere of Ritchie's RocknRolla movie in London on September 1.
Details of the divorce settlement have not been made public, but the couple will reportedly share joint custody of their sons, Rocco, eight, and David, three, who they adopted from Malawi in 2006.
