Russell Brand has filed for divorce from Katy Perry after 14 months of marriage.
The 36-year-old comedian said in a statement today: 'Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage. I'll always adore her and I know we'll remain friends.'
The Arthur star was spotted in London today without his wedding ring for the second day in a row.
His legal team filed court documents at the Superior Court in Los Angeles today citing 'irreconcilable differences.'
The divorce documents, which refer to Perry by her give name Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, show there are 'community property assets,' suggesting there may not be a pre-nuptial agreement in place.
It does not list a date of separation.
Perry is yet to comment on the split and there is some speculation she was blind-sided by Brand's official move to end their marriage.
The pair sparked rumours of trouble after celebrating Christmas 7,000 miles apart - he spent the festive day in Cornwall while the Teenage Dream singer, 27, was with friends in Hawaii.
Perry was not wearing her wedding ring either when she was photographed frolicking in the surf on December 25.
The couple's split comes just four weeks after Brand declared his relationship was going strong.
He told Ellen DeGeneres on December 2: 'I'm really happily married. I’m married to Katy. Perpetually, until death do us part was the pledge. I’m still alive.'
In November, Perry told the same TV host that that she 'would love to have children' with Brand.
She said: 'I think that's one of the reasons you get married, especially to the person that you marry. You think: "That person is going to be a good partner, a good parent.'''
Asked if she wanted a big family, Perry added: 'If it doesn't hurt the first time I'll keep popping them out.'
But there was clearly trouble brewing when the pair decided to spend Christmas apart, allegedly after a huge row.
A source was quoted as telling
US Weekly magazine: 'They had a massive fight. She was like, "F*** you. I'm going to do my own thing."
Meanwhile the insider said that Russell replied: 'Fine, f*** you too.'
The couple had planned Christmas together and Perry was expected to jet her family in a private plane over to the UK to celebrate.
In November, Brand's mother Barbara had tweeted she was looking forward to spending the festive season with her son and daughter-in-law.
She wrote on Twitter: 'Spoke to Russell and Katy, they are so happy, it's lovely. We will all be together for Christmas.'
The California-born star began dating the British comedian in 2009 after she famously threw a bottle at his head at an MTV Music Awards party.
He proposed just four months later on New Year's Eve and they were married in October last year.
Their lavish ceremony at a five-star resort in India included two elephants, acrobats and jugglers.
Brand was once notorious in England as a hard-partying bachelor and self-confessed sex addict.
He later had a spiritual awakening and got sober after years of heroin and alcohol abuse.
He insisted he'd reformed his wild ways before settling down with Perry.
'I think I was ready for it,' he said. 'If you're wild, like a wild animal, marriage won't contain you. I think that's how a lot of people get into trouble.'
Brand will next appear in the Eighties musical film, Rock Of Ages, alongside Tom Cruise.
Perry, who has spent much of the year on tour, recently released the new single The One That Got Away.
The track is currently number three on the
US charts. If it reaches number one, it will be her sixth chart-topping single from her Teenage Dream album, surpassing the record set by Michael Jackson's Bad.
