Summary: Michelle Kwan and her husband of four years are divorcing.
Michelle Kwan ice skated her way into our hearts almost 20 years ago, but the silver Olympic medalist has experienced personal heartbreak recently. In March, she reportedly learned on Twitter that her husband was divorcing her. In response, she filed her own divorce in Rhode Island, wanting his California filing to freeze away.
Kwan married Clay Pell four years ago. The figure skater met the White House staffer in 2011, and they were engaged the following year. The two Democrats have a $1.5 million house in Rhode Island, where attorney Pell had unsuccessfully run for governor in 2014. Although they were no longer living together, Kwan said that she thought they could work it out eventually. The two had been separated since November.
Unfortunately, Kwan was allegedly blindsided in March when she learned that Pell had filed for divorce in California. On March 30, she filed her own divorce complaint in Rhode Island, seeking to dismiss Pell’s California filing.
“The defendant, without warning or advance notice to Plaintiff or to her counsel, filed a Complaint for Divorce in the State of California on March 27, 2017,” Kwan’s filing said. “Plaintiff initially learned that the Defendant had filed for divorce in California by means of a ‘Tweet’ on March 29, 2017 and shortly thereafter from the online copy of an article published in the New York Daily News.”
The tweet referenced is one that contained a link to the New York Daily News article, according to The Daily Mail.
Kwan, 36, and Pell, 35, both cited irreconcilable differences in their complaints.
In March, Pell issued a statement to People that he wished Kwan the best.
“It is with deep regret that I share that Michelle and my marriage is coming to an end,” Pell said. “This is a sad and difficult turn of events for our family. I love Michelle, and wish her the very best as her life takes her in a new direction.”
According to the New York Daily News, Pell hired celebrity divorce lawyer Joe Mannis, who has represented Larry King’s wife and Dennis Hopper in their splits. The publication said that Pell wants Kwan, who after retirement went to work for Hillary Clinton, to pay his legal bills.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, the retired Olympian has a net worth of $16 million. If the pair were to divorce in California, there is a possibility that Kwan would not only have to pay his legal bills, but she could owe him alimony and half of their community property (if there was no prenuptial agreement.) If the divorce takes place in Rhode Island, where they reside, the chance of alimony for Pell is slim to none.
The couple have no children so custody will not be an issue in Kwan and Pell’s proceedings.
Kwan is one of the most decorated figure skaters in U.S. history. She won the Olympic silver medal in 1998 and the bronze in 2002. After her retirement, she graduated from law school and moved on to politics.
Pell is an attorney and the grandson of Rhode Island’s late Democratic U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell.
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Photo courtesy of The Daily Mail