Ex-No.1 golfer in £50m divorce fight after wife says he cheated on her
GOLFER Lee Westwood faces a £50million divorce fight amid claims he cheated on his wife of 18 years.
The former world number one has been accused of ‘misconduct’ by wife Laurae, 42, in divorce papers filed in the US. It is understood this relates to the mother-of-two’s suspicion that Westwood had extra-marital affairs.
In 2015, the golfer filed for divorce from his wife, with whom he has teenage children Sam and Poppy, and moved out of the family home in Florida. The 44-year-old, who was born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, began dating 40year-old model Helen Storey weeks after the split. He has denied his wife’s claims in separate papers filed in a Florida court.
With career earnings of around £40million
‘The whole thing is a mess’
and sponsorship deals worth £5million a year, Westwood could lose up to half his estimated £50million fortune in the divorce settlement.
A relative of his wife, who is the sister of Scottish Ryder Cup golfer Andrew Coltart, told The Sun: ‘The whole thing is a mess. Both have made claims and it is unfortunately for the courts to decide how it ends up. Lee denies he’s done anything wrong, but it’s very sad given how long they’ve been together.’
Westwood married beauty therapist Laurae in 1999 after falling for her at the Scottish Open four years earlier. For years, she accompaned Westwood to tournaments around the world and he became the world number one in 2010. However, he is now ranked 57th and has still not managed to win a major.
He is currently seeking to rectify that in the US PGA at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In 2012, Westwood moved his family to a £4million mansion in Florida so he could practice all year round on US courses. But following their split in 2015, the couple are understood to have returned to the UK, with Mrs Westwood moving into a house in North Berwick, East Lothian, and her estranged husband living in an apartment just 45 minutes away so he can be close to his children.
A month before filing for divorce in August 2015, Westwood was seen holding hands and kissing divorced mother-of-one Miss Storey.
Her sister Andrea is married to computer software businessman Graham Wylie, who owns Close House Golf Club in Newcastle, which sponsors the golfer.
Westwood, who was made an OBE in 2011, and his wife are set to face each other at Palm Beach county court next month. But he has asked judges to move the hearing as it clashes with next month’s British Masters, which he is due to host in Newcastle. His lawyers said in a court application: ‘In the event the trial date cannot be changed, he will abdicate his responsibilities with respect to the Masters.’
Earlier this year, Westwood’s Ryder Cup teammate Colin Montgomerie reached a secret out- ofcourt settlement with second wife Gaynor Knowles in a divorce battle over his £40million fortune.
Lawyers for Westwood and his wife did not respond to requests for comment.