Chris Martin is devastated after the end of his parents’ 30-year marriage, report The Mirror this morning. Friends of the 33-year-old singer say he has found it "incredibly difficult emotionally" after his mum Alison decided to leave the family home.
Martin’s father Anthony, 69, a millionaire retired accountant and magistrate, has now begun a new relationship. He has put the family’s £1.25million home near Exeter, Devon, on the market. The eight-acre grounds of the Grade 2 listed Georgian home include a horse paddock and tennis court. The family moved there in 1978 when Chris – eldest of five kids – was just a baby.
His mum, Alison, 57, is now renting a small flat in London where she is working as a music therapy teacher. Friends of the family have suggested her devout religious beliefs may have contributed to the break-up. A source said: “Chris has always been extremely close to his father, while some of his sisters have had very strong relationships with their mother. "But watching his parents split has been heartbreaking for him, and he’s desperate to stay close and in regular contact with both of them. Chris and Gwyneth have been regular visitors to the area while seeing his parents. They often visit the Royal Oak pub nearby, and Gwyneth has been seen at a small local theatre watching Chris’s sisters in an amateur performance.
“Chris visited his mum’s new place in London around a week ago, which was a strain for him emotionally. One of the most upsetting aspects of the break-up has been their decision to sell their family home. He was less than one year old when his parents moved in, and the house holds a lot of memories for him.”
Chris’s father, a Tory fundraiser, regularly accompanies Coldplay on tour and his son always jokes he’s the biggest party animal of all. "People think having your father on tour would cramp your style, but he’s got all the right moves," the singer once said. "He’s living the dream. I have to check he hasn’t trashed the hotel room before we leave each city."
The Martin family are distant relatives of Sir Winston Churchill, and neighbours describe dad Anthony as “very polite, and very proper”. Their substantial family fortune was dramatically increased in 1999 when Anthony sold a caravan company founded in 1929 by Chris’s grandfather for £8.8million.
Last night a spokesman for the Chris Martin said he was unavailable for comment.
[20/01/2011] Chris Martin performing at Gary Barlow 40th birthday gig:
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.