Once again, I’m always confused when months after a couple splits up, media outlets treat any kind of formalization of their split months later as some kind of epic “breaking news!!!!” coverage. Back in January, TMZ and other outlets got various scoops about divorce, and then Heidi Klum and Seal basically announced that they were over, and that they were currently separated. While Heidi and Seal have both made some comments about leaving the door open for reconciliation, I don’t think anyone really bought it, and in the end, everyone just got used to the idea that Heidi and Seal were no more. On Friday (the Friday before Easter), Heidi filed for divorce from Seal. Breaking news!!! Except not really.
Nearly three months after announcing their separation following almost seven years of marriage, Heidi Klum has made it official and filed for divorce from Seal, PEOPLE has learned.
A petition, which lists irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split, was filed Friday afternoon in Los Angeles Superior Court, PEOPLE confirms.
Klum is seeking joint legal custody, but primary physical custody of their four children – Leni, 7½, Henry, 6½, Johan, 5, and Lou, 2 – with visitation rights for Seal. The model is also requesting to have her maiden name restored. She legally changed it to Seal’s last name, Samuel, though professionally she continued to use Klum.
“While we enjoyed seven very loving, loyal and happy years of marriage, after much soul-searching, we have decided to separate,” the couple previously said of their split. “We have had the deepest respect for one another throughout our relationship and continue to love each other very much, but we have grown apart.”
Rumors first swirled that Klum, 38, and Seal, 49, were planning to divorce the day before they made the announcement. For the couple who married in Mexico in 2005, the split played out in headlines as the end of a fairy tale as both Seal and Klum gradually stopped wearing their wedding rings.
Although multiple sources told PEOPLE that the couple hoped to reconcile, by mid-February it was clear a reunion would not be in their future after all.
Seal was vocal about their split in the weeks following their announcement.
“When you publicize your marriage as much as our marriage was publicized, when you renew your wedding vows, when you do all those things, what you are saying to people is … you’re giving people a picture of an ideal relationship that people aspire to,” the British singer explained in February. “When it goes south, you can’t all of a sudden take the philosophy of a monk and decide to go for a vow of silence.”
The quieter Klum acknowledged in the April issue of Elle that she couldn’t control what Seal said to the press, but “it’s hard.”
“People don’t need to know who did what,” she said. “I don’t want to talk positively or negatively about the ups and downs that we had.”
My question is “Why did she wait to do it on Good Friday, like it was some huge news story that she hoped that people would ignore for 48 hours? Because everyone ignored it anyway, but not in the way Heidi hoped.” So… whatever. Seal and Heidi are over. And can I just say? Even though I’m on Team Heidi by default (because why not?), I think both Heidi and Seal are acting like jackasses by claiming “privacy” and “nobody’s business” at this point. They’re talk about everything in their marriage to the point of exhaustion, but when it all goes south, then they clam up?
Here are some photos of Heidi and the kids over the weekend in Brentwood:
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I’m over them.
I’m not Team Heidi. Sounds like she really wanted to burry the divorce story. Along with the story of her shagging her co judge from her Germany show. Shady.
*co sign*
So you’re Team Seal, who, if I remember correctly, abused Heidi?
He abused Heidi? When?
@Seagulls : if I remember correctly, there are about as many proofs that Seal was an abusive husband as there are that G.Auby is a bad father
Your talking about the woman who tried to latch onto Flavio Briatore by falling pregnant, and then when he didn’t want a bar of it, she latched onto Seal, when she was less than 8 months pregnant?
love that jacket she’s wearing!
” Even though I’m on Team Heidi by default (because why not?)”
^ wow… that’s so lame, funny how the man is always the one who gets the blame.
Seal doesn’t do anything likable. When I hear about seal I always think about when he was on TMZ and was flipping out on a photographer. I got the feeling he thought he was a god, his insults were nothing spectacular but he said them like his opinion and judgement was devastating to the guy. Team Heidi by default too.
Have you seen Hedi in interviews? She is abnoxious and full of herself. Is that the criteria we are using to pick sides then no one should be on any of their sides. We don’t know anything about their marriage to take sides on.
Doesn’t do anything likeable, really? How about welcoming the daughter of your new girlfriend/wife and treat the little girl like she is your own to the point of adopting her?
My father would do the same if a pap was right down on them and his child was there.
Seal not likeable? He loved a woman pregnant by another man and didn’t bail on her and considered Leni his own before she was even born. When adopting Leni, he never bashed the billionaire birth father, but instead was very gracious towards him for doing what was right for Leni. In interviews he has for the most part always been more balanced in his remarks about marriage and not like Heidi always painting a perfect marriage like a fairy tale.
Why team anybody? Both were career driven (Heidi building her empire/Seal on the road a lot of the year as a musician which is a singer’s bread and butter), four kids almost back to back, and whatever else their problems (maybe Seal’s ego about Heidi making more money and thus him focusing even more on his career again). I think they were probably both at fault and both could come up with valid reasons for why their marriage crumbled. I like both Heidi and Seal and I really don’t need to know their dirty laundry. They’re doing the right thing for the children by not airing it.
Does anyone really want to be on TMZ? Most of the celebrities are stalked on that stupid show.
Is that child’s mohawk dyed?
Boooooo to those hideous shoes
I am Team Get Her A Stylist ASAP. She always puts together the most awful outfits!
Ever since the story last week I’ve been very skeptical of Heidi’s motivations. I think her team was really quick to paint Seal in a bad light because I think Heidi has some of her own skeletons in her closet. Everything in Heidi’s life.must be seen as perfect even when it comes at the expense of others.
“People don’t need to know who did what,” said Heidi. That sounds to me like someone who knows she did something wrong.
Now, I’m not saying Seal didn’t do anything wrong, but I AM saying I don’t buy the abuse stories.
And as a DV survivor, I really and truly CANNOT STAND IT when someone claims DV just to try to make themselves look better in these kinds of cases. (I’m not saying that’s what Heidi’s doing, but HB & that RHOBH chick have both jumped on that bandwagon, as of late.)
The speed at which this marriage appeared to unravel is amazing. It sounds like they didn’t even try to see if they could salvage their relationship; they never talked about seeing a marriage counselor or taking time off work to focus on their family.
They love each other deeply, have shared eight happy years together and have four young children — why aren’t they even trying to resolve their issues?
(Incidentally, I don’t believe that Seal ever abused Heidi. After all, why would a smart, attractive and rich woman have baby after baby with someone who treated her badly. No, I think these two let their careers take over their lives.)