Imran Khan and his wife Reham have confirmed their split on Twitter and publicly announced that they are filing for divorce. The couple married just ten months ago at the politician's home in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Imran, a former cricket-legend-turned-politician, admitted that it was a "painful" time for the couple and their families.
The 63-year-old praised his estranged wife in another tweet, writing: "I have the greatest respect for Reham's moral character & her passion to work for & help the underprivileged."
© Photo: Getty ImagesImran and Reham Khan married ten months ago
"Reports & speculation about financial settlements are absolutely false and shameful," he added.
Imran's soon-to-be ex-wife also confirmed the split, writing: "We have decided to part ways and file for divorce."
In January reports swirled that the couple had married. Imran, who is head of Pakistan's opposition Tehreek-e-Insaf party, told reporters at Heathrow airport that he couldn't wait to "share the good news" with his nation.
Imran has previously said that he never thought he would re-marry
His estranged wife Reham is a divorced mother-of-three who married her first cousin when she was 19. Reham used to work at the BBC as a weather presenter, before she moved back to her native Pakistan in 2013 to work on various TV channels.
Imran went back to the UK in January so that he could personally break the news to the teenage sons he shares with his ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith, Sulaiman and Kasim.
Reham moved back to her native Pakistan in 2013 from the UK
Once he had gone public Jemima posted a series of tweets congratulating him. She wrote: "I'll always love Pakistan. Thanks to my sons and the love I've been shown there, I'll always feel like an honorary Pakistani, no matter what."
She added: "I hope Imran will be happy in this new phase of his life."
"For ten years I did not even think about getting married again because I did not want to hurt my children," Imran has previously told Geo News. "Until I spoke to my children I did not want to make any statements about my marriage."
