It won't just be the sequins giving Jo Wood some extra sparkle when she takes to the dancefloor in the new series of Strictly Come Dancing. Ronnie Wood's estranged wife will be starting the show off with a spring in her step after reportedly being awarded an £11.5 million divorce settlement.
Jo is understood to have agreed to an out-of-court settlement which will mean she takes half of his £23 million fortune. In addition, she will also take ownership of their £12 million marital home in southwest London, and get a substantial monthly allowance.
It has taken eight months of negations for the couple – who are parents to Leah and Tyrone - to come to an agreement. In July, shockwaves went through the showbiz world when it emerged that Ronnie had left Jo for waitress Ekaterina Ivanova, then 19, after spending a week with her at his home in County Kildare, Ireland.
"When the revelations about Ronnie first came out, it was difficult. I never imagined he would do that to me," Jo told HELLO! in November. But despite her husband's actions, the vivacious blonde says there are no hard feelings, and she has since discovered a new zest for life. "The thing is, I spent so many years concentrating on Ronnie, dressing Ronnie, and looking after Ronnie, that suddenly I can now concentrate on me," said Jo, who was married to Ronnie for 23 years. And her quest to try out new things includes her turn in Strictly – something she wouldn't have considered in years gone by. "I wouldn't be doing this if I was still with Ronnie," says the glamorous former model in this week's HELLO! magazine.
