Tuesday, August 25, 1998 Published at 18:02 GMT 19:02 UK
Shazza sheds Gazza
Paul and Sheryl Gascoigne's marriage is over
The marriage of Paul and Sheryl Gascoigne, which began with a glitzy showbiz wedding, has ended with Sheryl claiming it had damaged her health.
"I consider that Paul's behaviour has affected my health. I reserve the right to give further details should this become necessary in due course," she wrote in her affadavit to the judge.
She also said that the behaviour which led her to divorce Gascoigne was still going on.
Sheryl, who suffered a beating from her soccer star husband four months after they married, was granted a 'quickie' divorce on the grounds of his unreasonable behaviour.
His former wife, Sheryl, was also not present.
The divorce was granted by Senior District Judge Angel in the modern courtroom at High Holborn, in central London.
The only people present were the judge, his clerk, and about a dozen journalists.
The case was listed under County Court Matrimonial Causes for Pronouncement of Decree under the Special Procedure.
There were 34 couples in the list before the judge.
16th on the list
No 18 was the case of Grobbelaar F C v D J M but although the name is a familiar one it did not belong to the former Liverpool goalkeeper.
After all 34 cases were read out by the female court clerk, the judge asked: "Does any party or person wish to show cause against the decrees being announced or to be heard as to the question of costs?"
As only members of the press were present, there was silence in response to Judge Angel's question.
The judge then pronounced the decrees.
Not all over now
The brief court hearing may be over, but the matter is unlikely to end here.
There are now likely to be long legal battles over the size of Sheryl's financial settlement with Gazza, who is said to be worth about £5m.
The couple had wed in style with guests including Gascoigne's showbiz pals Chris Evans and Danny Baker.
Before the marriage, Gazza said Sheryl had transformed him from childish yob to responsible father.
But soon after the ceremony he returned to his old drinking mates, like Jimmy 'Five Bellies' Gardner.
He left his wife with a black eye and badly bruised face and arm after he attacked her in a drunken rage in Gleneagles, Scotland.
Sheryl, who began the divorce action in July last year - exactly a year after the marriage - is expected to be granted custody of the couple's two-year-old son, Regan.
She has two other children, Mason, eight, and Bianca Jade, 11, by her first marriage.
No sign of couple - just cars
Today there was no sign of Sheryl at her home in Stanstead Abbotts, Hertfordshire.
A woman who answered the door said: "She's not here, she won't be coming back this week."
Sheryl's blue Jaguar, her mother's Chrysler, and Gascoigne's red Range Rover were parked in the driveway of the house at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac.
The soccer star turned to 33-year-old Sheryl when he was dumped by England team coach Glenn Hoddle from the World Cup squad in June.
Gazza, 31, regularly visited her home and went on a Florida holiday with her when he returned to England.
But despite hopes of a reconciliation, she decided he would not change his ways.