The Dirt Behind Madonna's Divorce

All those years that Madonna and Guy Ritchie spent vigorously denying rumours that they were unhappily married apparently resulted in a whole lot of pent-up resentment, which, in the wake of their divorce announcement, is now flooding the tabloids courtesy of he-said/she-said sniping from those pesky unnamed sources. The deluge of dissolution discontentment includes speculation about deep-seated relationship issues, their supposed financial squabbling, Madonna's rumoured relationship with baseball player Alex Rodriguez and comments from the peanut gallery. Here are the latest lowlights:

 

The Romance Rumours: Madonna has denied allegations of an "affair of the heart" with New York Yankee star Alex Rodriguez, although an insider recently described their "strange relationship" to People magazine as being "spiritual, emotional and romantic." The Daily Mail reports that Madonna is sizing up 'A-Rod' like a prize stud. "She thinks he's physically a great specimen," a pal tells the paper. "And if she is going to have another child, he would be the ideal man to bring one to her." Rodriguez, for his part, is supposedly nearing a deal to buy a ridiculously expensive Manhattan penthouse located just a couple of blocks from Madonna's pad. "Alex knows that this is a difficult time for Madonna, especially as she has children," an insider tells the paper, which theorises that they could go public in the next couple of months.

Madonna: All you need to know

 

The Kabbalah Connection:  Guy Ritchie has made no secret of the fact that he doesn't share Madonna's devotion to Kabbalah. Rodriguez, on the other hand, has reportedly embraced the religion. The Daily Mail reports he's pledged to write "a range of sports-themed books to bring the message of Kabbalah to young boys" and wants to join the Big M on a "spiritual" journey to Malawi after she wraps her Sticky & Sweet tour.  A friend of the star claims that, "[Madonna] spoke to him at length about what he felt about being public with someone more famous than him. He gave the right answer - that he saw her as a spiritual being and not a famous person."

The Age of Dissonance: Guy reportedly lauded his wife during her 50th birthday celebration, crowing, "She looks better now than she ever has done. I'm so proud," but the Daily Mail says she may have her lawyers argue that he failed to support her as she crossed the half-century mark. "Madonna says Guy never said the right things to get her over that hurdle. She says he basically let her know that he thought she was over the hill," a mole asserts to the paper. The source claims Madonna felt "belittled" by her decade-younger husband, and believed "the constant put-downs created a distance between them and that she felt totally isolated in the marriage. That's when the love started to die and when their sex life also suffered badly."

Are Guy's Fists Tighter Than Madonna's Thighs? Last week, Guy reportedly declared that he wants "not one penny" from his stinking rich missus, but The Sun says her pals have already nicknamed him Material Guy because of his supposed money cravings. And while some estimates have put Ritchie's personal fortune in the $50 million range, the paper says he has a reputation for being tight-fisted. "If he's meant to be worth millions, then Madonna's never seen a penny of it," a mole slams to the tabloid. "He's never contributed towards the running of the family and his son's schooling." But a friend of the director defends him against the meal-ticket accusations, contending to the Daily Mirror, "Guy is his own man with his own money. He's much too proud to start going after Madonna's millions. He doesn't want to get into a tug-of-war. He loves the children and would never jeopardise his relationship with them."

Settlement, Schmettlement: Madonna's rep has brushed off reports that the soon-to-be-exes had finalised the divorce details, which, depending on which tabloid you believe, would have given Ritchie a cash settlement in the £9 million to £20 million range, along with their sprawling country estate and the London pub they co-own.

London Still Calling? "There are lots of things about England I love, but my husband isn't one of them," Madonna supposedly told a confidant (via The Sun). Still, does that mean she'll ditch her faux British accent and head back to the US? "Everyone expected Madonna to up sticks and go and live in New York - taking the children with her," a spy tells the Daily Mirror. "But despite some of the unhappy memories that London holds, she still feels that it's the best base for the kids." Not so, a mole informs People magazine, positing, "Madonna is a New Yorker. She will probably want to raise the kids in New York."

Odds and Ends: Ritchie's seemingly tabloid-reading dad didn't take kindly to reports that Madonna has been dedicating the song Miles Away, which she has said was inspired by Guy, to the "emotionally retarded." "She is being beastly," Papa Ritchie rants to The Sun. "She is saying, 'Did you ever love me?' It goes back to a time when she fell off her horse [she broke several ribs during the 2005 accident] and she's blaming him for that. She's calling him an emotional retard. When he's being bashed by her it's horrid." Speaking of bashing, the Mail calls Madonna a "domestic tyrant" who restricted Guy to a mostly dairy-, sugar- and meat-free diet. "If you were to use the word controlling, you would not even be coming close to describing the way she is about food," jabs a source, with another insider concluding to The Sun, "Now it's all over he plans to have a little fun – something that has been missing from his life for far too long."

Madonna: All you need to know

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