October 16, 2008	Thursday	Shawwal 16, 1429

NEW YORK, Oct 15: Pop megastar Madonna and her British film director husband Guy Ritchie have agreed to divorce, a spokeswoman for Madonna said on Wednesday .

“Madonna and Guy Ritchie have agreed to divorce after seven and a half years of marriage, their representatives confirmed today,” a spokeswoman said in a statement.

“They have both requested that the media maintain respect for their family at this difficult time.”

The confirmation followed a report in Britain’s Sun tabloid quoting a source who said Ritchie, 40, had pushed for the split.

Madonna, who is in the middle of her “Sticky and Sweet” world tour, married Ritchie in Dec 2000 in a lavish ceremony at a Scottish castle after meeting at a dinner party given by British rock star Sting.

The couple have an eight-year-old son, Rocco, and a three-year-old son adopted in Malawi, David Banda. Madonna also has a daughter, 12-year-old Lourdes, by her former fitness trainer Carlos Leon.

In July, Madonna took the rare step of issuing a formal denial of reports linking her to Yankees baseball star Alex Rodriguez, adding in a statement: “My husband and I are not planning on getting a divorce.”

But according to The Sun, Ritchie -- the director of moderately successful gangster films, including “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” -- has become frustrated.

He sees his superstar spouse as a “dead weight around his neck” and now wants a divorce to be agreed quickly, the source was quoted as saying.

“Guy has said if they were going to split, it has to be now -- and their marriage will finally be over in a matter of weeks,” the source told The Sun.—AFP