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2nd July, 2010
Sandra Bullock and Jesse James are divorced.
A court clerk in Austin, Texas, confirmed that the divorce between the Oscar-winning actress and celebrity biker was finalized Monday. Bullock filed to end the marriage in April after reports surfaced that James had been unfaithful.
Details of the settlement were sealed by the court, but Bullock’s initial filing cited “discord or conflict of personalities” as grounds for the divorce.
An attorney for Bullock did not immediately return calls to The Associated Press on Tuesday, but herpublicist, Cheryl Maisel, confirmed the couple’s split was complete.
James’ publicist, Monique Huey-Jones, declined to comment Tuesday.
The actress and “Monster Garage” star met in 2003 and married in 2005. It seemed like an odd pairing — the movie star often called “America’s Sweetheart” marrying the tattooed biker who had been wed twice before.
It was the first marriage for Bullock, who became a devoted stepmom to James’ children: Sunny, 6; Jesse Jr., 12; and Chandler, 15.
The couple stayed out of the public eye as they continued their individual successes. She racked up film and production credits, while he expanded his reality-TV presence, starring in his own series, “Jesse James is a Dead Man,” and appearing on “The Celebrity Apprentice.”
Their problems surfaced in March, just days after Bullock won the best-actress Oscar for her role in “The Blind Side.” She had been on a career high — her romantic comedy, “The Proposal,” was a box-office smash, then she swept Hollywood’s awards season for her “Blind Side” performance.
The couple was a fixture at the glittery awards shows this year. She called James “sexy” as she accepted her Screen Actor’s Guild award. Backstage, he held her purse as she spoke to reporters.
At the Golden Globes, Bullock told James from the stage, her voice cracking with emotion: “There’s no surprise that my work got better when I met you. Because I never knew what it felt like for someone to have my back.”
She did not thank her husband at the Academy Awards, instead dedicating her acceptance speech to mothers and parents everywhere. Still, the couple walked hand-in-hand down Oscar’s red carpet, celebrated together at the parties afterward and were photographed outside a Long Beach burger joint the next day.
Ten days later, reports surfaced that James had been unfaithful while Bullock was away making her Oscar-winning film. He apologized to his wife and three children from previous relationships through a statement released by his publicist.
“It’s because of my poor judgment that I deserve everything bad that is coming my way,” he said. “This has caused my wife and kids pain and embarrassment beyond comprehension, and I am extremely saddened to have brought this on them.”
Bullock canceled appearances to promote “The Blind Side” overseas, moved out of the home she shared with James and dropped out of sight. James went to rehab, but did not reveal why he needed treatment.
Bullock in April dropped a bombshell, announcing on the cover of People magazine that she was divorcing James and had adopted a baby boy who she intended to raise as a single mother.
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