Wood: 'marriage dead for five years'

15 July 2008 

LATEST: ROLLING STONES star RONNIE WOOD reportedly told the 20-year-old Russian waitress he has allegedly been romancing that his marriage has "been dead for more than five years."
 
Wood was rumoured to have left his wife of 23 years, Jo, for Muscovite Ekaterina Ivanova and taken her on a romantic trip to Ireland last week (beg07Jul08).
 
A friend of Ivanova tells British newspaper The Sun, "Ronnie told her that although he still lives with his wife, their marriage has been dead for more than five years.
 
"She has totally fallen for him and had no reason to disbelieve him. Ekaterina is adamant she has done nothing wrong.
 
"Ronnie had told her his marriage was over anyway, and as far as she's concerned she's not to blame if it ends in divorce."
 
Jo, allegedly left a message on Wood's mobile phone telling him that their marriage was over after revelations of the affair emerged.
 
And a friend of the rocker told another British newspaper, the Daily Mail, "Ronnie has battened down the hatches at his home in Ireland. He is drinking heavily.
 
"His wife has refused to talk about their marriage until he comes home and gets himself sober. Jo has managed to have brief conversations by phone but until he stops drinking nothing will get sorted.

Nobody knows when he is likely to come back to London.
 
"The family are all very upset. Ronnie is an alcoholic and it is a progressive illness. Every time an alcoholic falls off the wagon it's worse than the previous lapse. This is a new low for him."