Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch and owner of Chelsea FC, has separated from his wife of ten years, Dasha Zhukova.

The couple, who have two children, said the split was amicable.

In a joint statement, they said: “After 10 years together, the two of us have made the difficult decision to separate, but we remain close friends, parents and partners in the projects we developed together.

“We are committed to jointly raising our two children. We will also continue to work together as co-founders of the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow and the New Holland Island cultural center in Saint Petersburg.”

Ms Zhukova, an art collector who is 15 years' Mr Abramovich's junior, the independently wealthy daughter of a Russian oil magnate, was Mr Abramovich’s third wife.