Inside Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s bitter divorce

It’s no wonder that divorces are often called battles. Putting aside the emotional turmoil you both go through, the added strain of a couple splitting up their lives – finances, possessions and properties – can be an absolute minefield, no matter who you are. But when you’re one of the most famous couples in the world, with a fortune worth billions of dollars, and a roster of staff that would make Marie Antoinette jealous, the battleground gets even fiercer. And there’s absolutely no chance of surrender.

Last month, Kim Kardashian finally pulled the plug on her and Kanye West’s six-year marriage, following a year of simmering tension, estrangement and public outbursts by him. We all knew it was coming, but Kim’s lawyer – the fearsome divorce attorney Laura Wasser – made it official after filing papers on Kim’s behalf, with the reality superstar later stepping out in LA without her wedding ring.

According to Wasser – who also represented Kim in her divorce from second husband Kris Humphries, and who is considered the go-to lawyer in Hollywood – the official filing tends to come “after things have been in the pipeline for some time”, allowing high-profile clients to “have it all done on the down-low without anybody having to know about it, read about it or see it”.

So, what’s the deal with Kim and Kanye then? On the surface, proceedings should be fairly straightforward – they famously have a watertight prenup, which reportedly protects their separate business empires and astronomical earnings. It’s also said to stipulate an even split of their combined wealth of $2.1billion.

As for their four kids – North, seven, Saint, five, Chicago, three, and 22-month-old Psalm – the former couple have apparently told friends they plan to share custody, with their children spending half their time with Kim at her Calabasas mansion in LA and half at Kanye’s Wyoming ranch over 1,000 miles away.

All fairly simple and stress-free, right? Not quite. According to insiders, Kim, 40, and Kanye, 43, are keen to paint the picture of a seamless and easy divorce (both have yet to publicly speak about the split, but are said to be insisting it’s as peaceful as can be). But heat has been told that, behind the scenes, it’s a different story, as both try to stake their claims on their massive entourages and one-up each other in their bids to move on for good.

“Kim and Kanye’s lives were so intertwined – it’s going to be tough for them to carve up certain aspects of what they shared together equally,” says an insider close to the former couple, who – as heat has reported – have been living separate lives for months.

“Security and assistants aren’t such a big issue, as they each had their favourites, plus their stylists and business managers have been on their individual payrolls for years. But it’s proving to be tougher negotiating who gets to keep who when it comes to their shared staff. The nannies and the chefs are two particular bones of contention – especially because Kanye thinks Kim’s basically hogged them for herself. Kanye’s willing to give the nannies full-time jobs in Wyoming, but Kim thinks he should hire new ones for when the kids are out there – same goes for the chefs. But Kanye doesn’t see why he should be the one to have to do so.”

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Last week, as news of their divorce was confirmed, both Kim and Kanye were spotted in public without their wedding rings – the first time either one has made any public reference to their split. But the rings were small fry, after it was claimed that Kanye had made repeated attempts over the past month to sell jewellery he previously purchased for Kim as he “didn’t want to be reminded of the past”. This was said to have included a $1m Lorraine Schwartz diamond necklace, and her 15-carat engagement ring worth $3m.

According to insiders, Kim was “disgusted” by these attempts, making things a whole lot more acrimonious between them. What’s more, we’re told it made things even more obvious to her that there was no going back – and it was time to start putting the feelers out for the next lucky fella.

“Kim is getting her first taste of freedom – she’s hot and has no shortage of admirers,” says an insider close to the star – who was pictured looking dressed to the nines last week, as she dined with sister Kourtney and friends at Beverly Hills hotspot Matsuhisa. “She went through a year of hell with Kanye and thinks it’s now time to have some fun. Basically, it’s the talk of Hollywood right now who she’ll date next. She could literally make a star out of anyone she starts seeing, but Kim’s said she would quite like a fling with someone who is already famous and ‘just gets it’. It’s baby steps at the moment, in terms of a full-blown relationship, but Kim really does feel as though she could take her pick of all the hot, available bachelors.”

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There’s no denying that it’s been a challenging time for the star, who opened up last year about the struggles she’s faced supporting Kanye, who suffers from bipolar disorder. In July, as Kanye displayed increasingly erratic behaviour – including lashing out at Kim and her mum Kris Jenner on Twitter, and calling them “white supremacists” – Kim told her fans, “People who are unaware of, or far removed from, this experience can be judgmental and not understand that the individual themselves has to engage in the process of getting help, no matter how hard family and friends try.”

She’s since remained silent on her marital problems. But, whether she and Kanye like it or not, there’s a whole lot of moving parts when it comes to moving on – and getting through proceedings drama-free is looking more and more unlikely. They may have made peace with the fact that their marriage is over but, by all accounts, the battle is only just beginning.

Read more in the latest issue of heat magazine – OUT NOW.