Roman Abramovich splits with Irina to be with Russian model · 2007-03-16 12:29
Russia’s richest man and owner of London’s Chelsea soccer club Roman Abramovich divorced his second wife. He has confirmed his 16-year marriage to wife Irina is over.
“Mr. and Mrs. Abramovich have divorced in Russia on a consensual basis and have agreed terms in respect of arrangements for their (five) children and a financial settlement,” the statement said, without giving any details.
Abramovich, an orphan, split from his first wife, Olga, in 1990 and married the former Aeroflot flight attendant Irina in 1991.
The couple moved to London in 2003. The couple has five children – three girls and two boys – range in age from three to 15.
The divorce follows newspaper reports that Abramovich has been seen with a young Russian model, Daria Zhukova.
The 25-year-old, a daughter of an oil magnate and former girl-friend of Russian tennis star Marat Safin, has been pictured with Mr Abramovich on several occasions, leading to rumours that the two were having a relationship, although Ms Zhukova has denied this, saying they are merely “close friends”.
According to The Daily Mail, Mr Abramovich apparently invited Miss Zhukova and her father to his party in France last year. His friendship with Miss Zhukova began the following month. The report in October noted that the two enjoyed meetings around the world – including in Barcelona and London – to watch Chelsea in action.
Miss Zhukova studied homeopathy at the London College of Naturopathic Medicine, followed by some modelling, then launched a clothing line that was featured in Vogue.
But within weeks of the unconfirmed affair being reported, she was said to have returned to Moscow.
Mr Abramovich’s personal fortune is estimated at around £10 billion and, although no details of the divorce settlement have been released, it is thought Mrs Abramovich could have been entitled to up to half.
Russia’s Vedomosti business newspaper quoted sources close to Abramovich as saying that Irina will get less than 2 per cent of his £9.6 billion fortune after their 16-year marriage.
Irina’s settlement would include “cash and tangible assets, such as a house in Britain, a house near Moscow, a yacht and a plane”.
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