Princess Martha Louise reveals she was ‘completely devastated’ as she opens up about ex-husband’s death

While Princess Martha Louise is now happily married to Shaman Durek Verrett, the Norwegian royal was previously married to author Ari Behn.

The former couple married in 2002, with Ari choosing to remain as a private citizen instead of taking on a royal title. The couple welcomed three children, Maud, Leah and Emma, during their marriage, but in 2016 it was confirmed that the pair had started divorce proceedings; the divorce was finalised the following year.

Ari was open about his struggles with his mental health, explaining that he was chronically depressed in a 2009 interview. On 25 December 2019, he died by suicide.

Speaking on the Who’s Your Daddy podcast with Sebastian Solberg, Martha Louise opened up about Ari’s passing.

“I didn’t realise it was so physically demanding,” she explained. “I felt like I’d been running a marathon every day, and at the same time, I couldn’t sleep, eat, or anything like that. I was exhausted and in a kind of brain fog.”

The royal explained that she had to find an inner strength in order to support her three daughters. After six months, she allowed her emotions to hit her, saying: “After seeing the children start to get back on their feet, after six months, I went into a downward spiral. Really depressed.”

The mother-of-three said she was “completely devastated” by the news and said she wasn’t able “to get out of bed”.

New marriage

Martha Louise has managed to find love again, with the Norwegian princess marrying Shaman Durek Verrett last year in a wedding exclusively covered by HELLO!.

During a speech at the wedding, Durek paid tribute to Martha’s daughters, saying: “It’s a gift to have Märtha’s girls in my life.”

Maud played a special part in the celebrations, with the royal’s eldest daughter giving her away during the romantic ceremony.

Speaking to us about the celebrations Märtha said: “It was lovely to be together with all our friends and family.”

Durek said: “There are people celebrating our wedding, not just here but all over the world. Although some people are unhappy about it, because of my race and Märtha’s position as a royal, other people believe it marks a new beginning for the planet.”

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