Mexico's former first lady announces divorce from Enrique Pena Nieto
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In this Sept. 16, 2018 file photo, Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto waves from a National Palace balcony, accompanied by first lady Angelica Rivera, during the Independence Day military parade in the Zocalo of Mexico City. (AP Photo/Anthony Vazquez, File)
Just two months after Enrique Pena Nieto’s tenure as Mexico's president came to an end, his wife has announced that she's divorcing him.
Angelica Rivera, the former first lady, took to Instagram on Friday to announce that after nearly nine years of marriage she would be divorcing Nieto.
"Today all my energy, strength and love are focused on continuing to be a good mother, on recovering my life and my professional career," Rivera said, according to a translation of a post made in Spanish.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She said she had always given her all to her marriage and deeply regrets “this very painful situation.”
Rumors circulated earlier this week that the couple split back in December. Nieto’s six-year term ended Dec. 1.
The pair, who wed in November 2010, were last seen together in January at the funeral of a prominent leader of his Institutional Revolutionary Party. Their last official public appearance was on Sept. 15, for Mexican Independence Day celebrations.
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Beyond Mexico's soaring murder rates and strained diplomacy with U.S., Nieto’s presidency was mired in scandal and corruption cases -- one even involving Rivera.
In 2014, many Mexicans were outraged when it was reported that Rivera was living in a multimillion-dollar home registered to a builder who'd been awarded public contracts.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rivera, a onetime telenovela actress, claimed she had paid for the mansion legitimately with earnings from her acting career. She said she was selling her stake in the property.
According to local reports, the couple remain “cordial.” This was the second marriage for both Nieto and Rivera. Nieto and his three children remain in Mexico, while Rivera and her children have gone to her residence in the United States.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.