American reality TV star Kim Kardashian has officially filed for divorce from her husband, rapper and entrepreneur Kanye West, following weeks of speculation over a possible separation, AFP reports.
The couple has been married since May 2014 and have four children. According to TMZ news, Kim Kardashian has requested shared custody, receiving Kanye West's agreement.
In early January, NBC News reported that the two were living apart and undergoing couples therapy sessions. Kanye West (43) had moved to Wyoming, while Kim Kardashian (40) still lived in their family home in California.
The divorce puts an end to one of the most famous celebrity couples in the world, both having considerable popularity already before their marriage.
Citing sources close to the couple, US media speculate that Kanye West’s candidacy for the US presidency last year, was one of the main triggers for the separation.
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During the course of his presidency campaign, the famous rapper had made inconsistent comments and published cryptic messages on Twitter suggesting that his wife was seeking to hospitalise him in a psychiatric ward.
He also accused her of having wanted an abortion when she was pregnant with him for the first time, as well as of having had an affair with another rapper, Meek Mill, which she denies.
The outbursts were attributed to Kanye West’s bipolar disorder, for which the rapper refuses to take treatment for, believing it would curb his creative energy, according to his wife.
After the series of cryptic statements, Kim Kardashian called for the public’s "compassion and empathy," assuring that "those who knew Kanye know that his words are not always in line with his intentions."
Previously known as manic-depressive illness, bipolar disorder is characterized by alternating periods of elation and depression.
The Brussels Times
