Gove’ s ‘mistress was politics’, says his former wife

The former wife of Michael Gove has said rumours he had an affair were not true, as their divorce was finalised in the courts.

Sarah Vine said Gove’s “only mistress was politics”, as she admitted working to prevent him from becoming prime minister during their marriage.

Miss Vine said: “Despite all the rumours, his only mistress was politics. That’s what he is in love with.”

The comments come after a family court judge drew the marriage of the Conservative politician and the prominent media figure to a close yesterday.

Neither Miss Vine nor Mr Gove was at the public hearing at which Judge Lynn Roberts granted Miss Vine a divorce decree on the grounds that the marriage had irretrievably broken down.

The couple announced they were splitting in July, with a friend of the couple saying they had “drifted apart” and the decision had been “entirely amicable”.

Miss Vine admitted that the 2016 Brexit result, which Mr Gove had played a leading role in bringing about through his campaigning with Vote Leave, had brought pressure on their relationship.

The pair were good friends with former prime minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha, with Miss Vine a godmother to one of their daughters, but Mr Gove’s decision to fight for Brexit caused friction between the couples.

“My whole life fell away.

“I didn’t speak to many close friends, and that was another huge strain on the marriage,” Miss Vine said.

Mr Gove ran to replace Mr Cameron as Conservative Party leader after he resigned from No 10 following the European referendum verdict, but his former wife said she did not support his ambitions to lead Britain.

“My ulterior motive throughout my entire life was to stop my husband being prime minister because I can’t think of anything worse,” she said.

During the court divorce proceeding, Judge Roberts also approved the release of some documentation.

The released documents list the couple as Sarah Rosemary Vine and Michael Andrew Gove.

They show Miss Vine had petitioned for divorce and named Mr Gove as the “respondent”.

A “certificate of entitlement to a decree” said Miss Vine had “sufficiently proved” she was entitled to a divorce on the grounds that the marriage had “irretrievably broken down” and the “facts found proved being the respondent’s unreasonable behaviour”.

Miss Vine signed a “statement in support of divorce” and printed her name as Miss Sarah Rosemary Vine on November 30.

The judge made a decree nisi pronouncement in less than 10 seconds.

No members of the public, apart from one journalist, were at the hearing.

IT’S ALL OVER: Sarah Vine was granted a divorce from Michael Gove on the grounds of his “unreasonable behaviour”.