Sarkozy and wife announce divorce

PARIS, France (CNN) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Cecilia, have divorced by mutual consent, the couple's attorney told a French radio network.

"A judge heard it, and the judge pronounced the divorce," Michele Cahen told Europe 1 radio. Europe 1 reported the divorce was finalized Monday.

Cahen said all matters dealing with finances and custody of the couple's five children -- four from previous marriages -- have been resolved.

"There is no problem. It went very well, there was not the least bit of trouble," Cahen said.

Elysee Palace announced Thursday the Sarkozys were separating, but offered no further details. The announcement followed weeks of speculation and rumors that the couple's marriage of 11 years was in trouble. The office said the couple would be making no further statements.

Cecilia Sarkozy has been increasingly absent from her husband's side since he came to power in May.

Rumors about the marriage intensified this week after a presidential spokesman said Cecilia Sarkozy would skip a state visit to Morocco next week. The spokesman played it down as a simple scheduling announcement. Watch Sarkozy's divorce overshadow transport strike »

Cecilia Sarkozy was a smiling figure at her husband's inauguration in May as she stood with the children. But she has since said the role of a first lady was not something she was comfortable with, and recently, she said she didn't see herself as having any role at all.

Nicolas Sarkozy said at the start of his term that he had no worries as president, except for his wife.

The divorce comes as Sarkozy, in Portugal for a European Union summit, faces crippling public sector strikes at home. The walkout has shut down France's transit system and poses the first big challenge for Sarkozy's government.

For the French public, news of the divorce is unlikely to come as a shock. French presidents and their spouses have a long tradition of leading separate lives, even while carrying on the functions of state.

Former President Francois Mitterrand not only lived apart from his wife, Danielle, but he maintained a secret second family that turned up in public only at his funeral.

Jacques Chirac, who stepped down when Sarkozy was elected this year, hinted at a number of affairs. He and his wife lived largely separate lives, appearing together only at presidential functions.

The Sarkozys themselves have had a tumultuous marriage, staying together despite public affairs and rumors of infidelity. E-mail to a friend

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