Footballer's wife wins landmark divorce deal

The footballer's wife Karen Parlour today won a landmark court ruling that he must pay her more than a third of his future income in the wake of their divorce.

The footballer's wife Karen Parlour today won a landmark court ruling that he must pay her more than a third of his future income in the wake of their divorce.

The mother-of-three, whose marriage to £1.2 million-a-year Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour was dissolved in 2002, was told by the Court of Appeal today that her award of £250,000 a year personal maintenance would be increased to £406,500, to be reviewed after four years.

The award is in addition to two mortgage-free houses worth more than £1 million and a £250,000 lump sum, plus the £12,500 a year Parlour is paying for each of the children, aged eight, six and four.

The player had offered her £120,000 a year.

Three judges had been asked to rule that, in principle, the post-divorce income of a high-earning spouse should be split 50-50 in the same way as other matrimonial assets to reflect the vital input of the other partner to the marriage.

Mrs Parlour, 33, accepted that, because her relationship with the premiership star lasted only seven years, she could not claim the full 50 per cent.

She welcomed the judgment, saying in a statement: "I am very relieved at the outcome of the appeal and the settlement agreed. However, it has been a difficult and stressful time for all of us and I have not enjoyed my family and I being in the media's spotlight.

"I would like to ask everyone concerned to respect our privacy from this point on and help us to get back to normal as quickly as possible. I would like to thank my family, friends and legal advisors for their help and support."

Her legal advisors, Clintons, said the judgment would make similar settlements involving high income families fairer in future.

In a statement, the law firm said: "This judgement clarifies a hitherto uncertain area of the law and we welcome it.

"It will enable both parties to make provision for the future rather than only the earning party having that option.

"Accordingly it will create a greater degree of fairness.

"However, it must be emphasised that this judgment will apply in only a very limited number of cases, where the family's income is so high that there is a substantial surplus left after both party's reasonable income needs and those of any children have been met."

The former optician's assistant from Romford, Essex, said she was entitled to around 37 per cent because the earning capacity Parlour developed with her support during their marriage was a "matrimonial resource".

Today's judgment in her favour recognised that the 31-year-old player's income would "plummet" in his mid-30s and that his ex-wife would therefore be under an obligation to save a substantial sum, put at £294,000 a year, from her initial maintenance to provide for the future.

In January, High Court Family Division judge Mr Justice Bennett awarded Mrs Parlour £250,000 annual maintenance, ruling that her ex-husband's offer of £120,000 did not reflect the major part she played in persuading him to "grow up" and drop the hard-drinking "laddish" culture that existed among certain Arsenal players.

Her contributions to the development of his career, as well as to the home and the care of the children, should not be played down, the judge said.

Mrs Parlour had told the High Court that, before the arrival of manager Arsene Wenger at Arsenal in 1996, there was considerable drinking among certain players, including her husband.

She realised this was the way to "ruin and unhappiness" and she took a grip on the situation and encouraged him to move away from that lifestyle.

Ray Parlour's legal team argued that Karen's contribution to his success on the pitch was not part of a "joint enterprise" asset.

"He is the one who performs the labour," said Nicholas Francis QC. "He is the one who submits to Arsene Wenger's regime of behaviour and abstinence. He is the one who risks injury to his hamstring or whatever."

Today, Lords Justices Thorpe, Latham and Wall allowed Mrs Parlour's appeal for more money and awarded her the costs of the case, unofficially estimated at up to £1 million for both sides.

The case was heard alongside a similar appeal, also successful, by another mother of three for an increase in the £180,000 a year awarded by the same judge against her wealthy accountant ex-husband.