The mega divorce

Ealier this month, a telling conversation took place during a sunshine holiday in India, where Sadie Frost was enjoying a break with boyfriend Jackson Scott and two of her gang of girlfriends, Kate Moss and socialite Fran Cutler.

As they tucked into an al fresco lunch on the beach, the talk turned, as it often does, to Sadie's fraught divorce from ex-husband Jude Law. On this occasion, however, it was not the emotional fallout from the split but more practical issues pressing on the mind of the 37-year-old actress. 'The fact is, I'm pretty broke,' she announced. 'I need to get my finances sorted out.'

Several weeks later, amid the contrasting splendour of London's High Court, it seemed Sadie had been as good as her word: there, amid the myriad other names on the court's family division list last week, were those of 'Frost' and 'Law'.

Eight months after their six-year marriage was ended in a 90-second 'quickie' divorce hearing, the couple had once again turned to the law to thrash out the final details, including custody of their three children and a financial settlement, issues over which they have been fighting a protracted battle for some time.

And what a settlement it looks set to be: determined to make Jude pay what she sees as a fair price for their years of marriage, Sadie is believed to have asked for a £10 million settlement, comprising their five-storey Primrose Hill mansion and a one-off payment of £5 million, together with a monthly allowance of £20,000.

If 31-year-old Jude accedes to his former wife's demands - and many believe he is likely to - it will make their divorce one of the costliest in British showbusiness. For now, he is understood to be studying the figures - not that it seems there's much room for negotiation.

'Basically, Jude has been asked to consider Sadie's proposal,' a friend reveals. 'She doesn't think that what she's asking for is unreasonable and she is unlikely to budge. It is up to Jude whether he gives her what she wants or the battle goes on.'

What, then, is the hope of an agreement in the near future? Since the marriage was legally terminated in October last year, their relationship has remained fractured - although both have been united in trying to protect their three children, Rafferty, seven, Iris, three, and one-year-old Rudy, from the trauma of their separation as far as they can.

Nonetheless, until recently Jude had even considered fighting for custody, prompting Sadie to ask her cabal of celebrity girlfriends to write references about her fitness as a mother, for use in court if necessary.

The gloves, then, were definitely off. But now, according to friends, the couple are on the verge of agreeing joint custody, with the children splitting their time evenly between their parents' homes, and joining Jude when he is filming on location if necessary. It is a positive development which both sides are said to accept - with mild reluctance - is best for their family.

But this is not to suggest that relations are anything less than chilly - something demonstrated last month by an embarrassing scene outside the Primrose Hill mansion when Sadie, with her 22-year-old 'toyboy' Jackson Scott in tow, arrived late in the evening and demanded a meeting, shouting and banging on Jude's door.

'She was yelling at him, saying they had things to discuss,' a neighbour revealed. 'Jude was saying: "This is not the time." '

Nor, as we have seen, has the sticky issue of finances yet been finalised. For her part, Sadie is unlikely to budge on her demands.

'Sadie's beef has always been that she sacrificed her career for Jude,' a friend reveals. 'In her view, she was the one with the profile when they got together. He was just a jobbing actor while she had already been married to a star - Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp - and was quite well-known in her own right.

'She says continually that she gave him three children and put her career on hold to bring them up, giving Jude the freedom to pursue his,' the friend continues. 'Now she thinks it's only fair that she - and the children - benefit.

'Given that he's in his early 30s and is still not at the pinnacle of his career, she doesn't think it's unreasonable at all, as he could earn millions more over the next few years. She is resolute about it and sees it as fair reward for their marriage.'

Perhaps equally pertinently, it seems Sadie needs the money. While her complaints about being 'broke' are all relative - she has a huge house in affluent Primrose Hill, full-time childcare and frequently takes exotic holidays, including a recent three-week trip travelling round India with Mr Scott - the truth is that what she does not have is much in the way of income.

Her clothing line Frost-French, which she runs with her friend Jemima French, performs well but does not pull in enormous revenue. And much to her chagrin, her recent attempt to launch a TV presenting career, fronting a magazine-style show called What Sadie Did Next, in which she interviewed stars of fashion, art and music on location, was universally panned.

It is not being recommissioned - or at least, not with Sadie in it. 'The word in television circles was that they liked the format but want someone else to front it. So they may do another series with another star, which, of course, would be mortifying for Sadie,' a source reveals.

Moreover, Sadie is a Spender, with a capital S. 'She likes her luxuries,' says a friend. 'Clothes, travel, going out.

'And aside from all the fripperies, she has three children at private school, as well as 12-year-old Finlay from her marriage to Gary Kemp, and full-time childcare to pay for. Her view is that Jude can more than afford it and given his earnings - and projected earnings - it's not unreasonable.'

For his part Jude, according to friends, had been bracing himself for a sizeable alimony demand from his former wife - one he is apparently inclined to sign up for, with certain conditions.

'He always said he would not uproot the children from their house, especially as there is no need for it. Jude's major gripe is that he does not want to end up funding Sadie's boyfriends - not because he's jealous, but because he doesn't want to be taken for a mug,' says a friend.

'He has already made it very clear that he will pay anything needed for his children, but if she gets married again everything will be up for renegotiation.'

The thorny issue of a settlement has, unsurprisingly, continued to divide the loyalties of the once close-knit group of celebrity friends with whom Jude and Sadie used to spend their time.

As one insider puts it: 'Sadie and Jude's split has completely divided a really tight-knit bunch. The bitterness between them is so strong it is very hard to be friends with both, and people have strong opinions about the split.'

In the Sadie camp are the usual suspects - Kate Moss, Meg Mathews and Fran Cutler, together with Supergrass drummer Danny Goffey and Liam Gallagher. The women in particular have little time for Mr Law, believing he has cast off his former wife with little appreciation for her support over the years.

Such is her disaffection with Jude, indeed, that Kate Moss even altered plans for him to be godfather to her daughter Lila Grace following the split - not that this has caused Mr Law any sleepless nights.

'He's never been a fan of Sadie's gang of girlfriends,' said one source. 'He tolerated them while they were together, but he's frankly glad to be rid of them. He's sometimes joked about it being one upside of the separation.'

In the Jude corner are the Britpack actors Ewan Mac-Gregor, Johnny Lee Miller and Sean Pertwee, together with Pertwee's wife, the aristocratic make-up artist Jacqui Hamilton Smith, all of whom are said to view Sadie as something of a liability.

The 'Jude' gang also, perhaps surprisingly, count Gwyneth Paltrow among their number. 'Everyone thinks Gwyneth's part of the Sadie and Kate gang, but she really only flits in and out on occasion,' a friend reveals.

'She co-starred with Jude in The Talented Mr Ripley and they have always got on very well; in fact, they've done another film together since. She's got far more in common with Jude - he even went to stay with her and Chris Martin in New York when he first separated from Sadie.'

About the only thing the two sides now have in common, according to sources, is a desire to see the former husband and wife finalise the practicalities of their divorce.

'All their friends think they've got to draw a line for their mutual sanity,' an insider reveals. 'It has taken a long time to get to this stage and everyone is urging them to sign on the dotted line and move on.'

Among those who will also be relieved to see a final settlement are Jude's parents Peter and Maggie, south London school teachers who have always, apparently, taken something of a dim view of Sadie, and have watched the bitter squabbles of recent months with increasing concern.

'They've always thought Sadie had the potential to be a loose cannon and feel events of recent months have justified their view,' says a source.

'By contrast, they're very fond of Sienna (Law's current girlfriend, the 21-year-old actress Sienna Miller) and have high hopes for the future. But even if this relationship comes to nothing, they are just relieved to see Jude moving on.'

What then, of Sadie's own romantic life? Currently, she is still dating Jackson Scott, the flamenco guitarist introduced to her last summer as a 'cheer-up' present by Kate Moss.

The relationship has lasted rather longer than many people expected, although few regard it as long-term. 'Jackson is like Sadie's partner in crime,' says a friend. 'He's rather in awe of her - remember, he's very young - and thinks her lifestyle is extremely glamorous.'

In fact, as the Mail has revealed in recent weeks, Jude has taken a dim view of Sadie's lifestyle of late, in particular her antics at Kate Moss's now infamous 30th birthday celebrations in January, when Sadie was pictured looking the worse for wear with her left breast hanging out of her dress.

His alarm at her behaviour is said to have led him to insist on a clause in any final settlement ensuring he has a full say in any aspect of the children's upbringing. 'Jude's focus has changed,' explains a friend. 'He is no longer really part of that London party scene; in fact, he wants to distance himself from it. Jude wants to be taken seriously as an actor, not a showbusiness personality.

'He is an ambitious young man. He's been nominated for an Oscar twice and he wants to win one in the near future.'

In keeping with this 'serious' new image, Law is said to have recently had his 'Sexy Sadie' tattoo - a tribute to his former wife, referring to a Beatles lyric - removed from his arm at a Los Angeles laser clinic.

Indeed, while emotionally wedded to London, for the first time Jude is considering relocating, and dividing his time between London and Hollywood Hills.

He has talked recently of designing his own home in America, in keeping with his new hobby, architecture - according to friends the star has recently become interested in building and design, and spends much of his spare time studying textbooks on the subject.

In the meantime, however, building enough of a bridge with his ex-wife to extricate himself from his sticky matrimonial situation remains his priority.

'The fact is that Jude now just wants to draw a thick black line underneath the marriage,' says a friend. 'In short, he wants out, and if ten million is the price, then so be it. He sees it as an investment in his freedom.'