Quickie divorce ends four years of Coles' marriage

The undefended "quickie divorce" obtained by the X Factor judge on the grounds of the soccer star's unreasonable behaviour took just 80 seconds to process.

District Judge Christopher Simmonds pronounced the decrees nisi sought by 29 couples in the bland surroundings of the Principal Registry of the High Court's Family Division in London.

The setting for the case of Cole v Cole – or CAC vs AC as it was listed – was a far cry from the country house romance of Sopwell House Hotel in St Albans, Hertfordshire, where they tied the knot in July 2006 with an OK! magazine deal.

The pop star and footballer union soon led to them being compared with the Beckhams but the pair, who met in 2004, separated in February after public allegations about the England and Chelsea defender's infidelity.