When Melinda Messenger admitted she and her husband of nine years, Wayne, were in the middle of a trial separation it sent shockwaves around the celebrity world. Now, speaking exclusively to HELLO! magazine, the couple set the record straight on why they feel time apart is best for their family.
"It was my decision, and it took a very long time to reach," reveals the glamorous TV presenter, who's still living with their children at the couple's home in a converted farm building. "I felt we'd lost a deep connection."
After counselling failed to bring them closer, Wayne moved in with Melinda's brother. The hardest moments, says his wife, is when their three young children ask for their dad. "I feel myself crumbling and thinking: 'I can't do this'."
The point of going on the record together is to address speculation the relationship was affected by Melinda's desire for the youngsters to be schooled in an alternative education system and reports that Wayne was unhappy with Melissa's earning power.
The exclusive interview with the couple appears in issue 1019 of HELLO! magazine, available on newstands from April 29.
This week's magazine also contains details of HELLO!'s support for Kate and Gerry McCann's campaign to introduce a Europe-wide missing children alert system. To coincide with the first anniversary of their daughter Madeleine's abduction, the couple talk about how the so-called AMBER system would work, and how they find the strength to go on.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
