Indian supermodel tries to have British husband deported

Posted by lena on Aug 21, 2009 in News | 0 comments

One of India’s top supermodels, Ujjwala Raut, is attempting to have her estranged British husband deported following a series of violent rows.
The former face of Yves Saint Laurent who has appeared on the covers of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Marie Claire magazines, has accused Craig Maxwell Sterry of attacking her.
He has now responded by claiming she used her fame and influence in India to persuade the authorities to revoke his right to stay in the country so he can’t claim custody of their young daughter.
Mr Sterry, a former model from Scotland who now runs a film business in Goa, has applied to the country’s supreme court alleging his wife used violence and abuse against him.
The battle marks a bitter end of one of India’s favourite celebrity marriages. The couple’s 2002 wedding was styled by Yves Saint Laurent and staged at David Bowie’s New York penthouse. It followed a whirlwind romance which was widely covered in the Indian press.
In a series of interviews she revealed how, after they met during an assignment in France, he told a friend: “I’ve met my future wife.”
The romance faded soon after the birth of their daughter Ksha in 2005 when Ujjwala gained weight. As she fought to get back in shape and resumed her model career, Mr Sterry took over the care of their daughter and the couple spent more time apart.
Police were yesterday searching for Mr Sterry after his residential permit was confiscated, but he emerged in New Delhi to challenge the ruling and claim his wife had invented the allegations.
He released a letter detailing a fight at their home in Goa and implied she had been an absent mother while he raised their four-year-old daughter.
In his petition to the supreme court, his lawyer said: “Ever since the birth of baby Ksha in 2005, things started getting sour in the relationship between the petitioner and Raut.
“The petitioner has been single-handedly looking after Ksha throughout as his wife was busy with her modelling assignments.
Mr Sterry added: “My wife being an extremely influential and powerful person has tried to create havoc in my life by initiating false complaints lobbying for the cancellation of PIO [residence] card which was issued to me on October 11, 2006,”
His estranged wife denied his claims and said he was mounting a media campaign against her. “If Maxwell is alleging abuse and intimidation, why is he sending media letters? Why is he not resorting to court procedures, which is how things should be,” she said.
source: telegraph.co.uk