British actor Sir Anthony Hopkins and his wife Jenni have ended their marriage of nearly 30 years, a London court confirmed on Friday. The divorce, which will be finalised in six weeks, was granted on the uncontested grounds that the couple have lived apart for more than two years.
The Welsh-born Hannibal star and his wife had lived mostly apart, amicably, since 1995, with Sir Anthony making his home in Pacific Palisades, California, while Jennifer remained in England. “I’m a good provider but was never much of a husband,” he said last year. “I did the best I could to live a domestic life. I simply cannot do it.” But, he added: “I don’t want to sound like a damaged man. I’m in very good shape.”
Sir Anthony has been linked romantically to a number of women, including Joyce Ingalls in the mid-1990s, and LA screenwriter Francine Kay. In a 2001 interview, Jenni conceded the separation had been difficult. “I don’t find it an easy state,” she said, adding later: “If I’ve got any choice, I don’t want a divorce.”
The divorce marks an end to the Oscar winner’s second marriage. He wed Jenni in 1973 after splitting from his first wife Petronella, with whom he has a daughter, actress Abigail Hopkins.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
