Jeremy Clarkson and wife Frances to divorce

Jeremy Clarkson has been begging fans for forgiveness on Twitter. Picture: PA

Frances Clarkson, 52, who works as her husband’s manager, has reportedly filed for divorce from the 54-year-old Top Gear star.

Clarkson’s first wife, Alex Hall, told the Daily Telegraph that the current Mrs Clarkson “deserves every penny” of any settlement. He is estimated to have a fortune of £30 million.

Miss Hall said: “She’s done her penance. It is her hard work that has made him into the idol he is today.

“Jeremy is the frontman, but behind the scenes she was the swan paddling frantically beneath the surface. So she deserves every penny she gets - she’s worked for it.”

It was reported that Mrs Clarkson has recently been on holiday to Majorca with a female friend to toast the end of her marriage.

Clarkson’s spokesman and his wife both declined to comment on the reports, the Telegraph said.

The BBC presenter was embroiled in controversy last week when it was claimed he used the N-word while reciting the nursery rhyme Eeny, Meeny, Miny Moe during filming of BBC2’s Top Gear.

The Daily Mirror saw unaired footage of him using the nursery rhyme to compare two sports cars and claims the word “n*****” can be heard.

Clarkson said he “mumbled where the offensive word would normally occur” in two takes, and used the word “teacher” in its place in a third.

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