99-year-old man files for divorce over wife’s 1940s affair

London, Dec 30 : An Italian couple in their 90s will become the world''s oldest divorcees, after the husband found out about an affair his wife had in the 1940s.

The 99-year-old man, identified by lawyers only as Antonio C, was going through an old chest of drawers when he made the discovery about his 96-year-old wife of 77 years, named as Rosa C.

He immediately confronted her and demanded a divorce. She reportedly confessed to everything but was unable to persuade him to reconsider his decision.

According to court papers released in Rome this week, Rosa C wrote the letters to her lover during a secret affair in the 1940s, the Telegraph reported.

The couple is now preparing to split, despite the ties they forged for nearly eight decades – they have five children, a dozen grandchildren and one great-grand child.

The couple met during the 1930s when Antonio was posted as a young Carabinieri officer to Naples.

The discovery of the letters was the final straw for a marriage which had already run into difficulty – 10 years ago the husband briefly left their house in Rome and moved in with one of his sons, only to return a few weeks later.

The case appears to set a new record, at least for the age of the oldest protagonist – the previous oldest couple to divorce were Bertie and Jessie Wood, both aged 98, from the UK.

The pair ended their 36-year marriage in 2009 when they were both two years away from their 100th birthdays (ANI)