Formula One driver Jenson Button has split with his wife Jessica Michibata after only a year of marriage.
The 35-year-old former world champion married the Japanese-Argentine model at a lavish ceremony in Hawaii last year.
A spokesperson for the couple said; ‘Jenson and Jessica have decided to go their separate ways and it is very amicable. There is no else involved.’
Jenson, who is from Frome in Somerset, first met Jessica, a model and TV presenter, in her home country Tokyo in 2008.
They began dating eight months later, splitting for a brief period in 2011 and then rekindling their romance.
Jenson proposed, with a ring reportedly worth £250,000, on Valentine’s Day in 2014.
The newlyweds confirmed their marriage on Twitter on 31 December last year, with Jenson tweeting; ‘Happy New Year from Mr and Mrs Button! We’re excited to see in the New year with family and loved ones, we hope you’re too!’
Happy New Year from Mr & Mrs Button!! We're excited to see in the New year with family and loved ones, we hope you're too! 👫🎉🇬🇧🇯🇵🎍
— Jenson Button (@JensonButton) December 31, 2014
However, even after their nuptials the pair continued to live on opposite sides of the globe due to their busy career schedules.
Jenson explained; ‘We don’t see each other any more than before we were married.’
Jessica, 31, lived in a modest flat in Japan’s capital with her mother whilst Jenson continued to live in Monaco.
He said; ‘Jessie still works a lot in Japan…she enjoys her job, she models, she had a television show and has done a Japanese film.’
The pair were rocked by troubles in August this year when thieves broke into a friend’s St Tropez villa whilst they slept, stealing approximately £300,000 worth of valuables.
Jenson and Jessica were last pictured together on Jenson’s social media pages two months ago, during a birthday trip to Los Angeles.
