Whitney Wants Out
by Sarah Hall
Sep 13, 2006, 1:35 PM PT
Being Mrs. Bobby Brown no longer appeals to Whitney Houston.
The "So Emotional" singer has filed for divorce from her husband of 14 years, her rep, Nancy Seltzer, confirmed to E! News.
Houston filed the paperwork on Friday in Orange County, California, Seltzer told People magazine. She explained that the filing was technically for a legal separation, but that Houston is referring to it as divorce, as that is her intent.
However, Brown's attorney, Phaedra Parks, emphasized that the split had not yet reached that stage.
"It is a legal separation. It is not a divorce or a divorce petition," Parks told the Associated Press.
Court proceedings in the split are expected to begin next month. As yet, there's no word on custody arrangements for the couple's 13-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina.
It's certainly not the first bump in the road for Brown, 37, and Houston, 43, whose tumultuous union has been well chronicled both in the press and on camera since they wed on June 18, 1992.
In between stints in jail for Brown and rehab for Houston, the couple's marriage endured a trial separation, rumors of infidelity, drug addiction, domestic abuse and various encounters with the law.
In December 2003, police were called to the couple's Georgia home after Brown allegedly struck Houston during a heated argument.
Though the twosome tried to handle the matter privately, Brown was ordered to stand trial for battery.
Then came the duo's bizarre TV turn on the Bravo reality series Being Bobby Brown, which provided viewers with far more than they needed to know about Brown and Houston's bathroom habits, but failed to demystify the inner workings of their marriage.
In January, reports surfaced once again that the pair were on the verge of divorce, despite Brown's adamant denials.
"We're here and we're gonna be together for a long time, so people can expect us to stay together," the R&B singer told People magazine at the time. "I'm with my wife for the duration--and that's life."
A few months later, Brown's sister made headlines when she told the National Enquirer that the marriage was suffering because Houston was addicted to crack and provided photos of what she said was her sister-in-law's bathroom, littered with apparent drug residue and garbage.
However, Brown again defended his Grammy-winning wife, telling People he was "happily married."
"We are going to stand for each other for as long we live," he said. "I adore that woman. She helps me see God. I look in her eyes and I see God."
Apparently, Brown's eyes don't hold the same allure for Houston.
In recent months, the "I Will Always Love You" singer has made attempts to polish her public image.
On Tuesday, she made a rare appearance at the Ella Awards with her cousin, Dionne Warwick, and longtime mentor Clive Davis.
Houston is also working on a new album, her first since 2002's Just Whitney.
As for Brown, he reunited with New Edition in July for a performance at the Essence Musical Festival that received mixed reviews and plans to mount a full-scale New Edition tour in 2008.
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