Golfer Monty sues wife for £5m over their post-nup deal
COLIN Montgomerie is suing his estranged wife for £5million over an agreement signed after they wed which he now claims is unfair.
The 53-year-old golfer is bringing the claim as part of his divorce from second wife Gaynor Knowles, 50, who he left last year.
His lawyers claimed yesterday that a post-nuptial agreement he signed with her in 2010 – after he was caught cheating with another woman – was not fair and reasonable.
It committed the former Ryder Cup captain to paying for the upkeep of Mrs Knowles’s £2million farmhouse in Perthshire.
He is suing Mrs Knowles at the Court of Session in Edinburgh for £5million and is also demanding payments from her of £6,500 a month.
She is counter-suing for £5million and monthly payments of £10,000.
Montgomerie, thought to be worth around £30million, married Mrs Knowles in 2008 but was found to be having an affair with an ex-girlfriend two years into their marriage.
Despite his infidelity, the mother-of-four stood by him.
In court papers, Montgomerie’s legal team claim Mrs Knowles placed him under pressure to enter into the post-nuptial agreement so their marriage could continue.
Before marrying Montgomerie, Mrs Knowles inherited a £20million fortune when her first husband, Scottish furniture tycoon George Knowles Jnr, died in 2003 aged 41.
This included the luxury farmhouse that was listed solely in her name before she married Montgomerie.
Her lawyers say the golfer wanted to make changes to the property when he moved in and Mrs Knowles agreed to transfer it into joint names on condition that if they separated he would transfer the title back to her.
Under the post-nuptial agreement, it is claimed Mont- gomerie agreed that in the event of a divorce he would pay all reasonable costs for the house for the remainder of Mrs Knowles’s life, and relinquish his share of the home. Mrs Knowles is demanding Montgomerie honours the deal.
The pair met on a blind date in 2006 and became engaged 12 months later. Montgomerie’s first divorce – from childhood sweetheart Eimear Wilson, with whom he split in 2004 after 14 years of marriage – was blamed on his unreasonable behaviour because of his obsession with golf. Montgomerie and Mrs Knowles eventually wed at a ceremony believed to have cost £1.2milion at Loch Lomond Golf Club in 2008.
But problems emerged in 2010 when Montgomerie admitted cheating on her with ex-girlfriend Joanne Baldwin.
The affair, which lasted several months, ended when Miss Baldwin grew tired of being his mistress and told Montgomerie to leave his wife or she would reveal the liaison.
He publicly apologised for his behaviour and later said he was ‘thrilled’ that Mrs Knowles had decided to take him back
In a statement yesterday, Montgomerie said: ‘I will not be commenting on my private life other than to confirm I raised proceedings some time ago seeking divorce from Gaynor.
‘This matter is now being dealt with by the court.’
The hearing before Lord Doherty continues.
‘Unreasonable behaviour’