Sat 20 February 2021:
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian has filed for divorce from rapper Kanye West after almost seven years of marriage, bringing to an end one of the world’s most recognisable duos in entertainment with a social media following in the hundreds of millions and a number of political and big-business ventures.
Celebrity website TMZ cited unidentified sources as saying the split was amicable and that Kardashian had asked for joint custody of the couple’s four children. The grounds for the divorce were not immediately known.
Representatives for West did not immediately return a request for comment, but a source close to the “Jesus Walks” rapper told the People magazine that he was “resigned to reality”.
“He knew it was coming, but that doesn’t make it any easier,” the source was quoted as telling the People. “This is a sombre day for him.”.
The filing follows months of leaks and reports that the marriage between the two celebrities was on the rocks.
The pair, who began dating in 2012 and married in a lavish ceremony in Italy two years later, rapidly became one of the world’s most recognisable couples.
West, 43, has opened up about his struggles with bipolar disorder.
In July last year the mercurial entertainment mogul launched a bid for the US presidency in a rambling speech in which he revealed he had wanted to abort his daughter and broke down in tears.
Kardashian in July released a statement urging compassion for West’s mental health struggles after he swiftly deleted a tweet in which he said he had been trying to divorce her for months.
The couple grew further apart with the 21-time Grammy winner spending most of his time at his ranch in Wyoming and Kardashian remaining in their Calabasas mansion outside Los Angeles.
Both Kardashian and West are reported to be billionaires. West made his money through his music as well as his Yeezy fashion and sneaker line.
Kardashian, who is training to be a social justice lawyer, made her money through her TV series, as a social media influencer and by developing lucrative fashion and cosmetic lines.
TMZ reported that the couple had a prenuptial agreement and that discussions on a property settlement were well advanced.
The wedding was the first for West and the third for Kardashian after she had brief marriages with basketball player Kris Humphries and music producer Damon Thomas.
The divorce papers were filed a month before the March 18 premiere of the final season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which is expected to chronicle the recent rift in the couple’s relationship.
FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:
TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent
FACEBOOK (CLICK HERE)
https://web.facebook.com/ipindependent
