Jenson Button and wife had 'separate lives'

Jenson Button and Jessica Michibata had been "living separate lives" for months before they split. The Formula One driver and the model confirmed yesterday (23.12.15) they have gone their separate ways after just under a year of marriage, but it seems the breakdown of their union isn't a shock to many people. A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "At the moment it is all amicable. "But the truth is that for months and months they have been living separate lives. "Things went downhill about six months into the marriage and they last spent any meaningful time together at the United States Grand Prix in October." The 35-year-old racing driver is "sad" about the split but already knows there is no hope for a reconciliation with Jessica, who he began dating in 2008. The source added: "Jenson is sad about it but is resigned to the fact the marriage is over and there's no way back." Jenson recently 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 said: "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."