Formula One driver Jenson Button splits from wife Jessica Michibata

OHMYGOSSIP — Formula One driver Jenson Button and his model wife Jessica Michibata have separated after just one year of marriage but insist that the split is “amicable”.

Jenson Button and his wife Jessica Michibata have split after one year of marriage. The Formula One driver and the model – who tied the knot in Hawaii last December – first met in 2008 and had a brief split in 2010 before reconciling.

A spokesperson for Jenson said: “Jenson and Jessica have decided to go their separate ways and it is very amicable. There is no one else involved.”

The pair are already believed to be in discussions over 35-year-old Jenson’s vast fortune, thought to be £35 million, as they did not have a prenuptial agreement.

A source told The Sun newspaper: “Jenson and Jessica did not have any financial arrangement before their marriage. There are ongoing discussions between them about money, but it’s too early to say how it will pan out.”

The newspaper also reports that they first spoke about a potential split during a heart-to-heart in Austin, Texas in October at the American Grand Prix.

The insider added: “After getting married, life continued much as it had before. Nothing changed for either of them.

“It takes one person to give things up. But neither of them was prepared to do that.”

Recently Jenson admitted he and his wife did not live together, as Jessica, 31, spends most of her time in Tokyo where she has a thriving career and he lives in the tax haven of Monaco and travels the world for Formula One.

Speaking about their unusual set-up, in which Jessica shares an apartment with her mother in Tokyo, he told the Mail on Sunday: “We don’t see each other any more than before we were married. Jessie still works a lot in Japan. She enjoys her job, she models, she had a television show and has just done a Japanese film. She enjoys working, which is great, but obviously it means that we don’t see each other very often. We’re definitely not settled in Monaco together, not yet.”

Earlier this year Jessica and Jenson were the victims of a robbery while holidaying together in Saint-Tropez.

Burglars gassed them in their sleep and broke into their luxury vacation villa before stealing Jessica’s engagement ring, worth £250,000 and other jewellery.