Wednesday, 18 October 2006

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Whitney Houston files for divorce

Singer moves for legal separation from husband Bobby Brown

Whitney Houston filed for divorce from Bobby Brown this week in Southern California's Orange County Superior Court, her publicist Nancy Seltzer confirms.

The move is hardly unexpected – Houston, 43, filed for legal separation from her husband of 14 years on Sept. 8, and at the time Seltzer told PEOPLE, "We're saying she filed for divorce because that is (Whitney's) intent."

In the separation papers, Houston had asked for custody of the couple's 13-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina, and that Brown, 37, be allowed visitation rights, the Associated Press reports.

Brown's attorney, Phaedra Parks, declined to comment to the AP on the divorce filing, though earlier Parks had said that Brown was having a "very difficult" time with the separation.

Brown and Houston's relationship – marked by trips to rehab, rumors of infidelity and run-ins with the law – "just spiraled out of control" last fall, a relative told PEOPLE last month. "They fought like cats and dogs. They would fight about what to eat for dinner, about who wasn't cleaning out the dishwasher. Stupid things. But they were always yelling."

On Sept. 19, Brown commented for the first time about the split, telling PEOPLE,
"I'm really saddened by the whole situation."