Former World Cup champion Christian Karembeu threatens to sue his ex-wife for his name back

Adriana Karembeu has made a name for herself in France, first as a successful model, and then as a TV host and Red Cross activist. The former model was married to French football player, Christian Karembeu, who, like David Beckham, also played for the Real Madrid. The pair got married in December 1998, before eventually getting a divorce thirteen years later, when the two lovers decided to call it quits.

The name Karembeu has been at the heart of several arguments between the two exes for years, and the ex-football player has threatened to take a step further. Christian Karembeu's ex-wife has become so famous in France, using his name, that most people don't even know her birth name. Something which clearly doesn't seem to make the footballer very happy.

When Christian Karembeu threatened to call in the judges

Since their divorce in 2011, the former Real Madrid player has been adamant that he no longer wishes to see his name associated with his ex-wife. In 2018, Christian Karembeu confided in the Swiss magazine Le Matin about his feelings towards his ex-wife.

It bothers me, I'm the first to say basta!

He seemed clearly annoyed by the ordeal, and even said he hoped judges wouldn't have to be brought in to decide on the matter once and for all.

I've always wanted to have cordial relations and I don't think there's any animosity between us, but yes it bothers me immensely. I hope we won't have to wait for judges to decide on this.

When asked about this, two years after their divorce, Adriana Karembeu revealed that she didn't really know why she kept her ex-husband's family name:

I didn't really think about it.

Since then, the ex-model has continued using the Karembeu name, which she seems to have made her own over the years.

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Adriana Karembeu has started her own family since her divorce

When they split up, Adriana Karembeu expressed her sadness over the end of her thirteen-year marriage. In 2013, she told French magazine PurePeople that she didn't know if she would really recover from her divorce.

A separation is like a little death. It's something painful, and I wonder if you ever really recover.

The following year, she married an Armenian-born businessman in Monaco. Aram Ohanian convinced her to live in Marrakech by his side, and they had a daughter together, Nina, born on August 17, 2018. In December 2022, the TV host shared the news of their divorce, 'with a heavy heart'. Throughout her second marriage, she still went by the name Karembeu, as she has since her first wedding on December 24, 1998.

Read more:10 Famous footballers with even more famous partners

This article has been translated from Oh!MyMag FR.

Sources used:

Le Matin: Christian Karembeu, sa fille, la Coupe, son ex...

PurePeople: Adriana Karembeu : ''Mon divorce m'a changée, c'était comme une petite mort''