Comedian and Wife Divorcing After 14 Years of Marriage

By Allison Schonter

Comedian Jim Davidson and his wife Michelle Cotton are calling it quits. The Celebrity Big Brother winner revealed on stage during his Not Yet Cancelled tour in Hampshire Friday that he and his wife are divorcing after 14 years of marriage, Davidson telling the audience that he is going through "divorce No. 5."

Davidson used his divorce as a punchline during the show, telling the crowd, "I'm only doing half the set tonight because my wife will want the other half." Offstage, per Express, he added, "It's sad but you've got to crack on." He later confirmed the news in a statement to Express, sharing, "We have decided to separate with a view to divorce. It is amicable, if these things ever can be amicable. No one else is involved, not even lawyers at this stage." A spokesman added, per the outlet, "With Jim spending so much time away gigging and working on his TV channel, the split is only natural." Although Davidson has not provided further comment, a source said the comedian is "gutted."

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"Jim is really sad and gutted he and Cottonhaven't been able to make things work," the source said, per The Sun. "He's not thrilled at the idea of going through another public divorce. He's resigned to the reality nothing can be done."

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Davidson's split from Cotton will mark his fifth divorce. The comedian, 69, was first married to Su Walpole in 1971. The couple who share daughter Sarah Walpole-Davidson, 50, together, ended their relationship just a year later. Davidson went on to marry Julie Gullick in 1981. The former couple welcomed one child together, son Cameron, now 40, before divorcing five years later in 1986. Davidson's third marriage to Allison Holloway lasted just one year, with the pair divorcing in 1988. He married Tracy Hilton, his fourth wife, in 1990. Together, Davidson and Hilton welcomed three children – Charlie, 33, Fred, 31, and Elsie, 30 – before divorcing 10 years later in 2000. Ahead of his wedding to his fourth wife, actor John Mills sent a Telemessage to mark the occasion, which read: "Will It Last?" Davidson's previous four divorces are expected to have cost him up to £60million, the Mirror reports.

Davidson is an English stand-up comedian, actor, singer, and TV presenter. He notably hosted the TV shows Big Break and The Generation Game. He also developed two adult pantomime shows, Boobs in the Wood and Sinderella. He was set to appear on Season 11 of Celebrity Big Brother, but was arrested at Heathrow Airport by police officers working on Operation Yewtree, an operation set up amid the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal, in January 2013. Davidson was not charged and went on to appear as a housemate on Celebrity Big Brother Season 13 a year later and ended up leaving the house as the winner.

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