Former Brookside actress Ann Marie Davies has told friends about her heartbreak after separating from her soccer manager husband Karl Robinson.
Ann Marie, 47, who married Karl in June 2010, is devastated after her 13-year marriage ended when he left home.
Just weeks later, Karl, 42, – who became the football league’s youngest-ever manager at the age of 29 – was sacked from his last job at Division One wrestlers Oxford United.
The couple had been together for nearly 20 years and had a 17-year-old daughter, Jasmine, together.
The actress declined to comment on the split, but told MailOnline, “I’m going through a divorce at the moment. It’s been a very challenging time for myself and my family.”
Heartbreak: Former Brookside actress Ann Marie Davies, 47, has told friends about her heartbreak after separating from football manager husband Karl Robinson (pictured in December 2021)
Ex: Ann Marie, who married Karl in June 2010, is devastated after her 13-year marriage ended when he moved out of the family home (Karl pictured in January)
Friends spoke of how Ann Marie — who took a step back from acting to support her husband’s career — was left reeling from the breakup.
One of them said, ‘They’ve been separated for seven months. Many things have happened over a long period of time.
“It has been a very difficult time for Ann Marie and her family – she has a 17-year-old daughter. There is a lot of grief in terms of the family situation.
“She just wants to keep her head up and take care of herself and her daughter.”
Ann Marie starred in Brookside from 1998 to 2001, taking on the role of Katrina Evans, who ran a nursery in the Channel 4 soap opera.
It was around this time that the Birkenhead native actress met Karl who played for a local football team.
She next appeared in Doctors and Heartbeat before putting her acting career on hold when Karl landed his first major job in football management replacing Paul In at Milton Keynes Dons in 2010.
The appointment made Karl, who previously coached Liverpool youth academy and Blackburn Rovers, the youngest manager in the football league.
After six years at the club, he took charge of Charlton Athletic before moving to Oxford United in 2018.
Upset: The actress declined to comment on the split, but told MailOnline, “I’m going through a divorce at the moment. It’s been a very challenging time for myself and my family’
He was sacked at the end of February after going eight games without a win as the club battles to avoid relegation from League One.
Ann Marie, who now runs her own business and offers mental health programs, is said to have had little contact with her husband since the split.
The friend said: ‘Ann Marie is going through a difficult period in her life right now. “She’s living her own life and trying to keep her mind on work, on her family and just trying to get rid of all the noise.
“She doesn’t know where he is, because he’s here, there, and everywhere. “She’s not prepared to say anything in public — she’d rather keep her dignity.”
In an interview with the Liverpool echo in 2012, Ann Marie shared how she moved away from Merseyside to be with her husband after months apart when he took the job in Milton Keynes – nearly 170 miles from home.
She said, “It was a decision I made to keep the family together. I was practically a single parent and it’s hard. I juggled motherhood with my own career, but it was hard for him to travel back and forth.
Ann Marie, who married Karl in June 2010, admitted she had a hard time at first saying: ‘I’m a sociable person with friends who constantly drop by for a cup of tea and my family is in Merseyside so I have she missed.
“But 12 months later, I’m really enjoying it. I’m settled here, just like our daughter Jasmine; I have met new friends and of course I am proud to support Karl. I like being a football manager’s wife!’
Ann Marie, who has played volleyball for England, represented the UK in Mrs Universe and won Mrs British Empire.
Upset: Friends shared how Ann Marie – who took a step back from acting to support her husband’s career – was reeling from the breakup (Karl pictured in January 2022)
Last year she finished second in the Ms Great Britain Classic content for women aged 45 and over.
After being sacked from his last job, man Karl spoke of how his family had been bombarded with abuse in his final months at the club.
He said his mother had to leave the field during an away game, adding: “My daughter was constantly criticized on Instagram and terrible things were said to her over the past two or three months.
‘I’m tired of the old ‘it’s part of what you do, you get paid for it. We are paid to accept criticism, but our families are not paid to listen and accept it. But is it part of modern society? You can do that nowadays.’