After six years of marriage, wrestling icon Ric Flair has parted ways from his fifth wife Wendy Barlow. The 75-year-old former athlete confirmed the news through his Instagram account on Monday.
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In the post, Flair revealed that he and Barlow called it quits after 13 “great years” together. “As with every couple, we have experienced our ups and downs,” he wrote. “I think it’s important for everyone to know right now that we have decided to part ways respectfully. I’ll never ever be able to thank her enough for standing by my side through my terrible health crisis in 2017.”
The health crisis Flair was referring to was when he had surgery in Georgia to remove an obstructive piece of his bowel. This led to kidney failure, necessitating dialysis treatment and ongoing hospitalization for the wrestling legend.
“She never left my side!” Flair continued. “And for that, I will always be grateful!”
The retired wrestler further revealed what led to the split. “We both are working on different projects at the current time [and] it becomes difficult with my schedule [and] her schedule to make this work.”
He added, “I wish her the best of luck with her projects. And I know that she supports mine!”
One year after his health crisis, Flair and Barlow made the marriage official. However, Ric Flair and Wendy Barlow’s marriage struggled in recent years. The couple nearly called it quits for good in early 2022 but reconciled a few months later.
Flair was previously married to Leslie Goodman, Elizabeth Harrell, Tiffany VanDemark, and Jacqueline Beems. His longest marriage was with Harrell, which lasted nearly 23 years. He shares two children with Goodman and two with Harrell. His marriage to Barlow is his third longest.
Ric Flair Previously Opened Up About His 2017 Health Crisis
Weeks after his health crisis, Ric Flair spoke to PEOPLE about the nearly fatal situation.
“I crashed in an airplane and broke my back, I’ve been hit by lightning,” Flair explained. “But this is totally different. Anything I’ve been through before is nothing like this.”
Members of Flair’s family were reportedly told that the wrestling legend had only 20 percent odds of surviving his health woes. At the same time, he was placed in a medically induced coma. As part of the procedure to remove the bowel, doctors inserted a pacemaker. He recovered at a convalescent center in Atlanta, Georgia.
While getting candid about the ordeal, Flair declared, “It scared the s— out of me.”
Noting what is believed the cause of health problems, Flair said that he always thought he was a social drinker, never an alcoholic.
“I didn’t think I was an alcoholic,” he admitted. “But obviously I was.”