Bonkers writer fails to win alimony

By posting attacks about her estranged husband on YouTube, the British actress and playwright Tricia Walsh-Smith had hoped to achieve sympathy and, more importantly, a larger divorce settlement from her husband Philip Smith, the multi-millionaire president of New York’s largest theatre chain, the Shubert Organisation. But it hasn’t worked out that way. Yesterday, a US judge not only granted Smith a divorce – he had initiated proceedings on the grounds "cruel and inhuman treatment" – but also decreed that the one-off, lump sum agreed in their prenuptial agreement, £350,000, was valid.

In April, Walsh-Smith, the author of the play Bonkers who has also appeared in the Benny Hill show, recorded a six-minute film during which she claimed that while she and her husband had not had sex in nine years, she had discovered a cache of condoms, Viagra and pornographic films. The footage, during which the 52-year-old sang, cried and stared wild-eyed at the camera, became an instant hit on YouTube, attracting more than three million viewers.

Popular it may have been, but Judge Howard Beeler took a dim view, saying Walsh-Smith’s allegations had turned "the life of her husband into a soap opera." He added: "The posting of the defendant's first YouTube video was a watershed event in this marriage, elevating what was still primarily a private dispute into a public spectacle."

After the ruling, Walsh-Smith said she was disgusted by the decision and complained: "I think it totally sucks. It's a horrible pre-nup. I'd be better off in Baghdad. Bush is bringing democracy to Iraq. He should bring it to New York."