Shane Richie and his wife Christie have reportedly split after 19 years of marriage, meaning the soap star will be divorcing for the second time. The pair tied the knot back in 2007, but it's claimed that Christie grew 'fed up' with the EastEnders star's recent behaviour.
It's understood Shane, 62, and Christine, 47, dissolved their marriage last month. It comes just weeks after the soap star was charged with drink-driving after an incident at a Tesco petrol station in Essex.
Christie's decision
A source told The Sun: "Christie was at the end of her tether with Shane and had enough. The divorce was her decision after talking it through with relatives. She had put up with a lot over the years and has had a really hard time of things lately.
"There was not one specific incident that led to the end, but a build-up of things. She got fed up with his behaviour and did not take the decision lightly.
“Christie has been grown-up about it and not booted him out. She still has a lot of love for him but decided they could not go on as husband and wife. They have three children together so that is her main concern."
Their relationship history
Richie and actress Christie started dating back in 2001, when their respective panto casts crossed paths and went for a drink. Christie was in Cinderella and Shane was in Jack and the Beanstalk at the time. Christie later stated she and her ex-partner were "meant to be".
Richie proposed to Christie in 2005 with a diamond ring and the message "Will you marry me?" iced into her 26th birthday cake. The couple tied the knot in 2007 and have three children together, Mackenzie Blue, 20, Lolita Bell, 18, and Romani-Skye Angel Shelley, 15.
Previous marriage to Coleen
The Alfie Moon actor later admitted to cheating on Christie with his first wife, Coleen. It's safe to say that Shane and Coleen had a high-profile and rather messy relationship.
Shane tied the knot with Loose Women star Coleen in Orlando, Florida, in 1990. They initially planned a big, lavish wedding before deciding to elope.
They were together for nine years, but during that time, Shane had been unfaithful to the singer with multiple other women during their marriage. One of the women he cheated on Coleen with was dancer Claire Tyler, with whom he had an affair.
Shane's admissions
Coleen admitted she stayed in the relationship too long and Shane has admitted he was the reason for the breakdown of their marriage. He told the Daily Mail in 2017: "By 1996 my ego had taken over. I was getting a police escort to nightclubs. I'd be thinking, I'm 30, I've got bad skin but all these girls are screaming for me outside.
"I was lying to myself about the drinking and the women, thinking I was pulling the wool over the public's eyes. I'd be on TV advocating monogamy while I was having an affair."
In his autobiography, Rags to Richie, Shane said of his infidelity: "I was lying so much that I couldn't remember which story I'd told to each of them. And I'd lie to cover up the lies." He claims in the book to have had sex with six girls in a chalet during his time as a Pontins Bluecoat (when he was a teen).
He later told The Guardian of the media coverage: "I was crucified, quite rightly. There's no excuse for a bloke cheating on his wife, much as I try to find one. What I did to Coleen was unforgivable and I could never apologise enough."
Despite this, Shane and Coleen are now on good terms and share their two sons, Shane Jr. and Jake. She even showed her support for him during his stint on I'm A Celeb back in 2020, writing on Instagram: "Loving @imacelebrity so much already… especially with @beverleycallard @vicderbyshire and of course @theshanerichie who's bloody hilarious already!"
