madonnaMadonna and Guy Ritchie are reportedly planning a trial separation this summer, with the singer set to relocate to New York for the duration.

The ‘4 minutes’ singer has recently been redeveloping her apartment overlooking the city’s Central Park to make it more suitable for her three children and staff, and is said to have bought an adjoining flat in her maiden name.

A source told the Daily Mail: “Madonna is miserable and has lost her desire to live full-time in the UK.”

“She leaves for NY at the start of June and won’t be back until October. She has talked about the children going with her but she hasn’t mentioned Guy once.”

“[Already] they never see each other and sleep in separate rooms. Madonna’s day revolves around herself and her children and her work, and not Guy.

“Yet she is still trying to control his life and hounds him on the phone constantly, wanting to know where he is every day. It’s not unheard of for her to call him six times an hour if she doesn’t know where he is.

“But they just don’t spend much time together unless they are with the children. She has been spending more time with girlfriends and members of her staff because she’s lonely.”

The couple attended the premiere of Madonna’s documentary I Am Because We Are at the Cannes Film Festival this week but onlookers observed tension between the couple of the red carpet: “They did not look like two people who were very happy in each other’s company. She looked frail and pale, like someone under tremendous strain, and he seemed utterly miserable.

“Guy wanted to talk about his film on the red carpet but Madonna told him this was about her movie. She made it clear to Guy that this event was about her and his nose was put out of joint.

“Guy’s problem is that he is in her shadow. She is the star of the show and he feels a little emasculated by the marriage.

“They’ve just drifted apart. It’s all very sad. But they are trying not to make a drama out of it, for the sake of their children and their careers.”

Earlier in the year, Madonna’s publicist denied rumours that the couple’s relationship was in trouble, saying they “remain happily married”.