Madonna and Guy Ritchie ‘not divorcing’

It's official. Madonna and her husband, film director Guy Ritchie, are not divorcing. Liz Rosenberg, Madonna's publicist, said yesterday that "There are no divorce plans". Rumours about the fragility of the couple's marriage have been circulating for months, fuelled most recently by reports that the singer had lined up Fiona Shackleton, the lawyer who represented Sir Paul McCartney in his divorce battle with Heather Mills.

Rosenberg also dismissed reports that Madonna, 49, had begun a relationship with US baseball star Alex Rodriguez (nickname: 'Stray Rod'). Rodriguez, 32, who plays for the New York Yankees, is reported to have made numerous late-night visits to her New York apartment. Easily explained, said Rosenberg: "Madonna and Alex have the same manager, Guy Oseary. They have met. They know each other and Madonna took her kids to a Yankees game last week. There's really not anything to comment on beyond that."