| 27th October 2006 03:40 AM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
The Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces
Saabira Chaudhuri 10.26.06,
Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/finance/2006/10/26/divorce-celebrities-fame-pf-cz_sc_1026divorce.html
Divorces are ugly affairs. But they can be downright gruesome when the parties involved are celebrities. Factor in multimillion-dollar estates, fortunes and reputations--all up for grabs in a divorce--and it's a wonder why celebrities marry at all.
Take the current uncoupling of former Beatle Paul McCartney with his second wife, former model Heather Mills, after four years of marriage. While Mills wrangles a share of McCartney's estate--valued by some British tabloids to be as much as $1 billion--the press makes hay of their nasty contretemps.
In August McCartney locked his estranged wife out of their London home. Recently, Mills made claims that McCartney abused her. (She alleges to have tapes to prove it.) McCartney, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1997, is one of the wealthiest rock stars in the world, having amassed a multimillion-dollar fortune as a member of the Beatles. Last year alone, McCartney earned $40 million, largely from an ultrasuccessful North American tour. Sir Paul's divorce may prove to be one of the most expensive celebrity divorces in history.
That's what Mick Jagger sought to avoid in 1999 when his supermodel wife Jerry Hall filed for divorce following revelations he had fathered a child with another woman. Despite a nearly 20-year relationship that produced four children, Jagger sought to limit his financial exposure by claiming their 1990 Hindu wedding in Bali wasn't legally binding. The tactic, which earned him scathing criticism from the media, seems to have worked. Though documents concerning the settlement are confidential, Hall is believed to have walked away with far less than the $50 million she sought.
Indeed, celebrity divorces are often rife with clever legal maneuvering. Sexy James Bond actress Denise Richards (Dr. Christmas Jones in The World Is Not Enough) eschewed the traditional "irreconcilable differences" claim many celebrities use on their divorce petitions to maintain privacy. Instead, in her April divorce filing from Two and a Half Men star Charlie Sheen, she said he was abusive and addicted to porn and prostitutes during their marriage. (Sheen has denied these claims.) But in addition to child support and custody of their two children, Richards is seeking a piece of Sheen's Screen Actors Guild Pension, monies the 40-year-old actor wouldn't see for at least another 15 years.
Harrison Ford's ex-wife Melissa Mathison also finagled some unusual assets when the couple divorced in 2004 after 18 years of marriage. (Ford was widely reported to be dating Ally McBeal actress Calista Flockhart at the time.) In addition to an estimated $85 million settlement, Ford forked over a share of future earnings (royalties, video and DVD sales) from flicks he made while they were together. Among the 22 films he starred in during the marriage, which Mathison will enjoy proceeds from in perpetuity: the Indiana Jones trilogy, The Fugitive and Witness.
Of course, not all celebrity divorces end in animosity. Though rare, some are downright enviable. When Neil Diamond split from his wife of nearly 25 years in 1996, he handed over an estimated $150 million, or half his fortune, to ex Marcia Murphey. At the time he was quoted by newspapers as saying, "She's been through thick and thin with me and deserves half of my fortune."
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| 27th October 2006 07:22 AM |
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| Gazza |
If Roman Abramovich's wife leaves him following the recent tabloid revelations that he's been playing away from home, that has the potential to make everyone else's settlement look like chickenfeed |
| 27th October 2006 12:13 PM |
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| gotdablouse |
Is he the Swedish soccer player ? Probably not ;-)
"Neil Diamond : "She's been through thick and thin with me and deserves half of my fortune." now that's a gent ! |
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