Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich splits from wife Dasha Zhukova

Roman Abramovich

Russian billionaire and Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich and his partner, gallerist Dasha Zhukova, have separated, a spokesman for Abramovich confirmed. "After 10 years together, the two of us have made the difficult decision to separate, but we remain close friends, parents, and partners in the projects we developed together," the two said in a statement sent yesterday by Abramovich's spokesman John Mann.

Dasha Zhukova

Abramovich, 50, is Russia's 12th richest businessman, according to Forbes magazine, with a fortune of $9.1 billion. He has owned Chelsea football club since 2003.

The statement did not make clear whether Abramovich and Zhukova, 36, are married, although this has been previously reported.

Abramovich and Zhukova have two children together, a son and daughter. In the couple's joint statement, they said that "We are committed to jointly raising our two children." Abramovich divorced his second wife Irina Malandina in 2007 after a marriage lasting 16 years.

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