Splitville Here They Come....????

MADONNA and GUY RITCHIE are to divorce, The Sun can exclusively reveal.

A statement confirming their marriage is over has been prepared and is set to be released imminently. The couple are going public with their split because they “can’t bear to live with the pretence any longer”.

They have had a string of shouting matches about the amount of time each devotes to their careers, and over Madonna’s desire to adopt another child. These arguments smashed through their attempts at reconciliation “like a sledgehammer”.

A highly-placed source told The Sun: “It’s very sad. They were a great couple and brilliant parents. They just couldn’t live together any more.”

Pals say Madge, 50, initially wanted to wait until next year to announce their separation — after her Sticky and Sweet global tour is finished. But now she and Brit movie director Guy, 40, want a divorce finalised before Christmas — which would have seen the eighth anniversary of their fairytale wedding in a Scottish castle.

The source said: “Despite huge attempts to patch things up they both knew deep down that divorce was on the cards. It wasn’t a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’. They tried hard over the last few months but their fighting was getting out of control. “The final straw came before Madonna started her US tour.

“Madonna wanted a highly stage-managed separation, with their split being announced when it was convenient for her.

“She didn’t want the distraction while she is trying to concentrate on her tour.

“But a series of rows around Guy’s 40th birthday last month were so bad that Madge ended up storming out of the house and Guy’s had enough.

“Guy said if they were going to split, it has to be now — and their marriage will finally be over in a matter of weeks.

“Madonna was dithering at first about whether a separation would be best or whether to go ahead with the divorce.

"She has now agreed with Guy that a divorce is the best thing to do.”

Guy has flown back from France, postponing filming of his new movie Sherlock Holmes, to break the news to his parents.

This week he will take his possessions from the couple’s London home, which Madonna owns, and move into their Wiltshire home, which he owns.

Madonna — in New York on Monday night for the premiere of her new movie Filth And Wisdom — initially planned to move back to the US with their three children in July.

The source said: “She was adamant that she was leaving Guy and not coming back.”

But talk of the separation leaked out — along with rumours that Madonna was secretly seeing a married baseball star — and Guy flew out in a public last-ditch bid to repair the marriage.

Madonna instructed her spokeswoman to put out a strongly-worded statement insisting there were “no plans” to divorce.

And the couple put on a show of unity at the UK premiere of Guy’s film RocknRolla, at Madonna’s birthday party and then at his birthday bash.

They also shared a weekend in Italy. It was planned as a romantic break but ended with them sleeping in separate rooms.

The source said: “Lately Guy has been putting his foot down about a lot of stuff.

“He is sick of his career taking a backseat to hers and was determined to spend as long as he had to promoting RocknRolla here, even if it meant being away from Madonna rehearsing in the US.”

They went on: “When Madonna first moved to the UK, she loved the idea of becoming an English rose. But slowly it turned sour. She decided she hated hunting and quickly dropped her ‘hobby’ of going for a pint of bitter with Guy in the local pub.

“She doesn’t have many friends here and as she has turned 50 she has become very philosophical and started wondering what it’s all about.”

Other arguments raged about their kids Lourdes, 12, Rocco, eight, and David Banda, two.

The Sun