Charles Kennedy and wife split after eight years: 'His drinking problem ruined their marriage'

By David Wilkes

Commons wedding: Charles Kennedy married Sarah Gurling on July 20, 2002 after a five-year courtship


Charles Kennedy has split from his wife, it was revealed on Monday night.

The former Liberal Democrat leader and his wife Sarah said they are separating ‘with great sadness’ in a brief statement issued by their lawyers.

Insiders said his alcoholism placed an unbearable strain on their eight-year marriage and they have been spending more and more time apart.

It is understood Mr Kennedy, 50, the MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber in his native Scotland, was often absent from the family home in London where Mrs Kennedy – some 11 years his junior – raised their son Donald, five.

A source said the couple’s split had come as ‘no surprise’ to those who knew them.

‘Sarah is an incredibly nice and tolerant woman. As a committed Christian, she did everything to try and make the marriage work,’ the source said.

‘Their split is entirely amicable and they really are still friends. But they have been leading more or less separate lives for some time.’

The source added: ‘That’s what you get for marrying an alcoholic. Charles never sobered up and he would regularly go off for several days on the p***. I guess you only really know someone once you live with them for a while.’


Ended: Charles and Sarah Kennedy with their newborn son Donald in 2005. The couple married in 2002 and she was often seen with him at political engagements


Happier times: Mr Kennedy and Sarah Gurling announce their engagement in 2002


When they married in July 2002 after a lengthy courtship, Sarah Gurling, as she was then, was a senior public relations figure with the Lotto company Camelot.

Just before their wedding in the crypt chapel of the House of Commons – and after Jeremy Paxman on BBC2’s Newsnight had famously questioned Mr Kennedy closely about his heavy drinking – Sarah, a South Londoner, was asked about his reputation on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour.

Her response then was that the stories were untrue and ‘unfair’. ‘Actually, it is just a normal fun life really,’ she declared.

Mrs Kennedy became a consultant after taking maternity leave from Camelot.

Mr Kennedy became the youngest MP of the 20th century at the age of 23, just a year after winning a Fulbright scholarship to Indiana University in 1982. He became leader of the Liberal Democrats in 1999.


Companion: The Kennedys at Blackpool for the 2005 Lib Dem party conference


Donald, the couple’s only child, was born during the 2005 General Election campaign while Mr Kennedy was still party leader. Mr Kennedy notoriously blamed the resulting lack of sleep for a stuttering performance during press conference questions on tax, which fuelled rumours about his private life.

Before he admitted he had a problem, Mr Kennedy’s drinking frequently clashed with his political career.

In one incident when he was Lib Dem leader he missed a key statement by then chancellor Gordon Brown on why Britain would not enter the euro, later saying: ‘I suppose it was a curious decision.’

The next year he was absent from the Commons for the Budget in March 2004, prompting senior figures to plead with him to seek treatment, although his aides claimed at the time that he had a stomach bug.


Questions: Rumours of drunkenness resurfaced following a press conference (above) during the 2005 election when he couldn't remember key policies


Spotlight: A media scrum surrounds the Kennedys at the 2006 conference - eight months after he resigned as leader and admitted he had a drinking problem


Four leading party figures apparently cornered Mr Kennedy in his private office and insisted he acknowledged his problem. Mr Kennedy resigned as party leader in 2006 after losing the support of MPs in the wake of his public admission that he had a drink problem.

It is thought he stood down due to pressure from several of his senior colleagues. He was replaced by Menzies Campbell who resigned after a year and was succeeded by Nick Clegg.

After his resignation, Mr Kennedy sought treatment, but there were persistent questions of whether it had been effective.

In March 2008 he was due to take part in Radio 4’s Any Questions but missed a train from London’s Euston Station, again raising questions over his health.


Friends: Prince Charles meets the couple and their son Donald in June 2006


Mr Kennedy refused in May to vote for the coalition deal with the Conservatives – preferring a tie-up with Labour.

The statement last night announcing the couple’s separation said: ‘In doing so amicably, our ongoing and overriding priority will obviously remain our son.

‘We wish this to remain an entirely private family matter.’

source: dailymail