BBC's Peter Bowes in Los Angeles: "Their relationship has been called one of the oddest in showbusiness"

The divorce petition said both parties reached a confidential agreement regarding property and debts. Jackson, whose record Thriller is the biggest selling album of all time, has an estimated personal wealth of $150m.

Jackson married Ms Rowe, a former nurse he met while undergoing treatment for a skin disorder, in a surprise wedding in Australia nearly three years ago.

It was all smiles when the couple had their first baby

There was speculation at the time that she had been paid to carry Jackson's baby, but she strongly denied the reports.

At the time, Jackson said: "Debbie and I love each other for all the things you'll never see on stage or in pictures. ... I fell for the beautiful, unpretentious, giving person that she is, and she fell for me just being me."

But their relationship has been described as one of the oddest in showbusiness.

The couple have lived apart - Jackson with his children at his Santa Barbara theme park on the California coast, and his wife more than 200km away in Los Angeles.

She has had little involvement in looking after the children.