Getting divorced can be an expensive business, as anyone who’s been through the process will testify, but when you’re dealing with the celebrity world, divorce costs can be huge. Celebrity chef Marco Pierre White is going through a divorce with his wife of sixteen years, Mati White. Friends of Mati say that the divorce proceedings have so far left her penniless to the extent that she’s had to hand her diamond engagement ring to her divorce lawyers as collateral.

So far the divorce has meant that both parties have racked up six figure bills with their legal team, but the move by Mati has angered Marco. Marco gave her permission to sell her diamond engagement ring if she needed to do so, but not to use it to pay her solicitors. The diamond ring is worth a reported £250,000 and contains an Asscher-cut six-carat diamond.

Her divorce lawyers are now holding the diamond ring until she can pay their costs.

A close source to the couple spoke of Marco’s annoyance at the solicitor in taking the diamond ring from her.

He thinks the situation is appalling and that Withers is acting like a pawn shop. He claims he never told Mati to hand the ring over, but at one point he did give her permission to sell it if she was desperate for the money.

It’s not common practise for divorce lawyers to accept diamond engagement rings as collateral, but when they’re worth a quarter of a million pounds they seem to make an exception.

Mati White said:

Marco’s solicitors sent me a letter suggesting I used it to cover my legal fees which I thought was a very good idea. I handed it over voluntarily.

Clive Bellmore