Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher were struggling with their ‘shaky’ marriage years before quietly splitting in 2023, with the estranged couple now desperately trying to navigate their difficult prenup and how to sort custody of their three children, insiders have claimed.
The British comedian, 52 and the Australian actress, 48, announced on Friday that they had filed for divorce, breaking the news on Instagram with simultaneous pictures of them posing in tennis outfits.
Now, insiders have claimed their marriage had been ‘shaky’ for years, with Cohen reportedly struggling after making the ‘sacrifice’ to relocate their family to Australia back in 2020.
‘Their marriage has been shaky for years,’ an insider told DailyMail.com exclusively. ‘The breakdown started when they relocated to Australia so that she could be closer to her family. But it left Sacha far removed from everyone he knows.
‘He made this sacrifice for her and would make many sacrifices for her throughout their marriage. He is deeply affected by their split because she was his life for many years.’
The couple, who married in 2010, are now working out the ‘best arrangement’ for their three children, two teenage daughters and a nine year-old son – with Fisher currently the one with custody.
‘She has custody of the children and they are still working out the best arrangement so that Sacha is able to be an active part of their lives,’ the source continued.
‘They have much love for each other, but they could not get along and became different people than they were at the beginning of their relationship. They wanted different things in life in terms of their careers.
‘They had a prenup but it is still very difficult because everything they owned is purchased for the two of them and their family together.’
The insider insisted that infidelity had not played a part in their marriage breakdown and that neither party is dating someone new.
They finished: ‘Cheating was not involved on either side and neither are seeing anyone else.’
DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Cohen and Fisher for comment.
The now estranged pair met at a party in Australia in 2002 before getting engaged in 2004. Fisher, who compared meeting the actor to ‘winning the lottery’ converted to Judaism before they tied the knot in Paris, France, at a Jewish ceremony in March 2010.
Ten years later they moved to Sydney in December 2020 after splitting their time between the US and UK before later relocating to Perth, Western Australia.
Fisher, who was raised in Perth from the age of six, opened up about the move in 2021, telling Stella magazine she feels safer in her native Australia.
‘I just feel so safe, I suppose the word is cozy, when I’m in Australia. It’s where I grew up,’ she said.
‘I’m the happiest when I’m home. I miss it when I’m not here. I don’t feel any pressure when I’m in Australia. I don’t have to say or do or be anything. I mean, I don’t even have to wear shoes.’
There were also reports at the time that the political situation in the US was behind their relocation.
‘They didn’t want to raise their kids in Trump’s America,’ an insider told Sydney Morning Herald in January 2021.
Borat star Cohen has long been an outspoken critic of the Trump administration.
Their split comes just days after Rebel Wilson leveled a string of shocking claims against Cohen in her new memoir Rebel Rising.
Wilson played his on-screen girlfriend in the 2016 comedy The Brothers Grimsby and made a series of allegations about her uncomfortable experience during shooting.
She alleged that on set he would ask her to strip off for scenes despite her ‘no nudity’ rule.
He has strenuously denied her claims, which he says are contradicted by evidence.
The British prankster achieved global fame in 2006 when he starred in the satirical mockumentary Borat, playing a journalist from Kazakhstan learning about life in America.
Fisher’s first big role was as Shannon Reed on Australian soap Home and Away from 1994 to 1997. She went on to star in films including Confessions of a Shopaholic and Wedding Crashers.
In January 2022 she gave a rare interview about her marriage to Cohen when asked how they had managed to stay together for two decades.
‘I think by Hollywood standards it’s probably 200 years!’ she joked. ‘I feel like it’s a Golden Jubilee or something. Everyone was congratulating me.
‘It is a fun ride. I feel so lucky to have Sacha in my life. Now we have this beautiful family and we survived lockdown together, which you know, it is not easy for any couple.’
But on Friday they confirmed they had split, telling fans in a statement: ‘After a long tennis match lasting over 20 years, we are finally putting our racquets down.
‘In 2023 we jointly filed to end our marriage. We have always prioritized our privacy and have been quietly working through this change
‘We forever share in our devotion and love for our children We sincerely appreciate your respecting our family’s wish for privacy.’
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
