 The couple enjoyed a whirlwind romance |
Comic Johnny Vegas has split from his wife, a little over a year after they were married in San Francisco. Vegas wed Kitty Donnelly in August 2002, five months after meeting in a London pub, and jokingly sold their wedding snaps to Viz magazine for �1.
The actor and comedian said he was "saddened" that his marriage had come to an end.
The couple had their first child in July, a boy called Michael, named after the star's real name.
Vegas is known for his dishevelled appearance and his liking for Guinness.
After years plugging away on the stand-up scene, he found broader fame as a panellist on the game show Shooting Stars, and in advertisements for now-defunct TV service ITV Digital where he appeared alongside a stuffed monkey.
'Special person'
He also starred in the TV series Happiness and can be seen in the British comedy Blackball, which is about the world of bowling.
But after his whirlwind romance with Ms Donnelly, an interior designer, Vegas said he was quitting the stand-up circuit so he could spend more time with his wife.
Speaking after the wedding, he said: "The moment I started talking to her, I fell in love. It was all very whirlwind and simple.
"You meet a special person and don't care about the practicalities.
"Falling in love with someone to that extent does feel like sheer lunacy.
"But I know there's loads of people who'll know what I'm going on about."
Vegas, who is originally from St Helens, Merseyside, is set to play the part of the late Harry Secombe in the movie of the life story of Peter Sellers, which stars Geoffrey Rush as Sellers.