Tarrant's wife knew of affair 'for months'

Chris Tarrant's estranged wife has claimed she knew for "several months" that her husband was having an affair. But in spite of her well-documented acrimony, she hopes that the divorce proceedings will be conducted "in a fair and civil manner."

The Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? host's recent indiscretions were exposed by a tabloid, but Ingrid Tarrant, 51, claims that this came as no surprise to her.

"I became aware of Chris’s infidelity several months ago and eventually gained positive proof from private investigators," she said.

"Unfortunately Chris drew unwelcome attention by behaving indiscreetly in a wine bar, which first prompted speculation about our marriage. I tried to contain the issue by describing the coverage as a ‘storm in a tea cup’."

She then admitted: "By then I had already told Chris that our marriage was over."

Ingrid then revealed that she regretted yesterday's "uncharacteristic verbal outburst," where she branded her husband's mistress a "f***ing little cow" to reporters.

In a plea to the press, she added: "To enable me to stay strong for my children, please take this as my final statement and allow us the privacy we deserve to rebuild our lives."