Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder, was forced to announce his divorce ahead of a tell-all story about his eight-month affair with a former TV presenter, it was reported on Thursday.

The National Enquirer revealed on Thursday it had tailed the billionaire for four months across five states as he engaged in secret trysts with Lauren Sanchez, a former Fox presenter.

The magazine claimed to have obtained an embarrassing exchange of texts between Mr Bezos, 54, and Ms Sanchez, 49, who is married to Hollywood talent agent Patrick Whitesell.

It claimed to have contacted Mr Bezos informing him of their investigation 48 hours before he publicly announced he was divorcing wife MacKenzie.

The pair have been married for 25 years and have four children together. Mrs Bezos, who is a novelist and was one of Amazon's first employees, is expected to become the richest woman on the planet after their divorce settlement.