Katy Perry Russell Brand Benefit Red Carpet - P 2011
Jason Merritt/Getty ImagesRussell Brand has filed for divorce from wife Katy Perry.
“Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage. I’ll always adore her and I know we’ll remain friends,” the 36-year-old British actor and comedian released in a statement to the Associated Press on Friday.
According to a TMZ report, Brand filed divorce papers in Los Angeles citing “irreconcilable differences.” The report also cites sources who said that the couple had been having marital problems for some time. Brand and Perry, 27, did not spend Christmas together and neither was seen wearing their wedding rings.
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In an appearance on Ellen DeGeneres‘ show earlier this month, Brand denied any truth to rumors that he and Perry were having issues. “I’m really happily married,” he said at the time. “I’m married to Katy. Perpetually, until death do us part was the pledge. I’m still alive.”
Brand, who stars in the upcoming Rock of Ages and was cast in Diablo Cody‘s directorial debut with Julianne Hough in September, and “Teenage Dream” singer Perry, were married Oct. 23, 2010 in India. The marriage, the first for both, lasted 14 months. The pair began dating in 2009 after meeting at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.
Brand, who starred in Arthur opposite Helen Mirren, broke through in the U.S. around that time after hosting the awards ceremony two years in a row (2008 and 2009). He also appeared in a supporting role as singer Aldous Snow in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the follow-up Get Him to the Greek. Brand is also teaming with FX for an unscripted late-night series.
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Perry, Grammy-nominated for record of the year and best pop solo performance for “Firework,” is coming off a successful year. She recently notched her record seventh No. 1 single, “The One That Got Away,” off her Teenage Dream album, Billboard reports.
The Hollywood Reporter‘s music editor Shirley Halperin declared 2011 the year of the female singer in pop with Perry included in the conversation. “These girls have become brands on a global scale,” says Jim Donio, president of the National Association of Recording Merchandisers, which tracks the market. “They’re all dominant in their own way and bring with them an interesting cross-section of fans.”
