Content Warning: This article about Il Divo discusses sexual abuse and domestic violence.
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French Il Divo tenor Sébastien Izambard is being sued by his ex-wife after she accused him of committing sexual abuse and domestic violence.
In a suit filed in Los Angeles state court, Australian Renée Izambard said that her ex-husband had subjected her to “years of dangerous psychological abuse and torture, and intense sexual, physical and emotional abuse, bringing her to the doorstep of death.”
As reported by The New York Times, Ms Izambard has alleged that Mr Izambard forced her into sex acts without her consent, withheld medical care, tracked her movements and threatened to stop supporting their three young children.
According to Ms Izambard’s lawyer Devin McRae, she was motivated to file the suit both to try to put a stop to behaviour that continued after she filed for divorce in 2018 and to bring awareness to coercive control.
“Really, she’s just fighting to be free of abuse,” said McRae.
According to The New York Times, the suit alleges that Mr Izambard’s controlling behaviour began before the pair’s 2008 wedding.
Allegedly, Mr Izambard pressured his wife into having sex in front of other people and into watching sex acts be performed on him. The suit also accuses him of ejaculating onto her feet while she was asleep.
On top of that, he also reportedly sought to control Ms Izambard financially by refusing to permit her to get a work visa to work in London and by not putting her name on their bank accounts.
“Sébastien would fly into a jealous rage when Renée called her family or friends in Australia or even if Renée fell asleep or went to bed before Sébastien. When driving in the car together, Sébastien demanded Renée hold his hand at all times,” the suit alleges.
The suit also details Mr Izambard allegedly having tracked her movements using the Tesla app, and having watched her via the CCTV in their home.
While the suit states that Mr Izambard eventually joined a group for sex addicts, his behaviour continued which led to his wife suffering a “severe emotional breakdown” in 2017.
The suit claims that he then denied her medical treatment and pressured her to make “pornographic video content.”
In a separate ongoing case, Ms Izambard sued her ex-husband and insurance company State Farm for damages after their Malibu home was destroyed by wildfires in 2018.
According to that suit, Mr Izambard had allegedly improperly controlled access to the insurer and payouts.
McRae said that while Ms Izambard was aware that the latest suit might make her ex-husband’s earning capacity “disappear”, she filed for the suit anyway in order to potentially stop the behaviour.
Meanwhile, Il Divo’s management and label have not yet publicly responded to the allegations.
