Heavyweight boxing legend Vitali Klitschko has split from his wife of 26 years, Natalia.
But the 51-year-old insisted that the pair still have a "very good relationship", he writes The Sun.
Klitschko is the mayor of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, where he has worked tirelessly since the Russian invasion in early February.
Photo: EPA
Meanwhile, former model and musician Natalia, 48 years old, has been living in Germany for years.
The pair married in 1996 after their first reported meeting in the Ukrainian capital, although they have been separated for some time.
And Klitschko has confirmed that they have now officially filed for divorce.
Photo: Getty - Contributor
He told the German newspaper Bild: "We filed for divorce together because we have been living apart for years and now we want to make it official."
"We have a very good relationship and we respect each other, but we have been living apart in different cities for a long time."
The former couple have three children together - Yegor-Daniel, 22, Elizabeth-Victoria, 19, and Max, 16.
Natalia is half German, half Ukrainian and is also a yoga teacher.
Vitali still reportedly writes to her every morning to tell her he is safe in Kiev.
Natalia is said to have helped care for refugees who have fled war-torn Ukraine in the past six months.
Vitaly became involved in politics before retiring from sports and has been mayor of Kyiv since 2014.
Alongside his brother and fellow boxing icon Wladimir, Vitali vowed that he was ready to die for his country fighting against the Russian invaders.
The pair took up arms to defend Kiev from Russian soldiers when the invasion targeted the Ukrainian capital earlier this year. /Telegraph/
