Thursday, 21 September 2006

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Matt LeBlanc's divorce finalised

The former Friends star and Melissa McKnight end their three-year union

Former Friends star Matt LeBlanc and his wife of three years, Melissa McKnight, finalized their divorce Wednesday, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

LeBlanc and McKnight will share joint and legal custody over their 2-year-old daughter, Marina (who has suffered from a brain disorder). He will provide $15,000 a month for child support until she turns 18. LeBlanc will also cover 100 percent of Marina's medical and nanny costs and school tuition.

Both LeBlanc and McKnight waive all claims for spousal support.

The couple separated last January, when LeBlanc, 39, unexpectedly announced he was moving out of the Encino, Calif., home he shared with McKnight, 41, their daughter and McKnight's two children from a previous marriage.

"It was very sudden," McKnight's longtime friend Kelly Phillips told PEOPLE at the time. "She was absolutely blindsided by what transpired."

Citing "irreconcilable differences," LeBlanc filed for divorce in March. "The dissolution is amicable," his publicist Joe Libonati said in a statement. "They remain devoted parents and friends."

Shortly thereafter, PEOPLE reported that LeBlanc had been involved with Joey costar Andrea Anders, 31. Although the new couple are still together, the show didn't fare as well; it was cancelled in May.

LeBlanc and McKnight, a former model, were originally introduced in 1997 by actor Lou Diamond Phillips and his wife, Kelly. After a five-year engagement, they were married on May 3, 2003, in Hawaii in front of 75 guests that included former costars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow.