Wrestling legend Ric Flair has denied he was ever married to Wendy Barlow after announcing the pair have ended their relationship.
Flair, 72, seemingly got hitched for the fifth time back in September 2018 when he and Barlow, 61, hosted a glamorous ceremony on the rooftop of the Pearl Hotel in Rosemary Beach, Florida.
However, on Monday the 16-time world champion told his 1.1 million Twitter followers "After Taking Some Time Apart, Wendy And I Have Decided To Go Our Separate Ways. Please Respect Our Privacy and Our Families During This Time! I Will Love and Cherish All Of Our Memories Together Forever, And I Will Forever Be Thankful For All She Has Done To Make My Life Better!"
Flair went on to say the separation would be an "opportunity for Wendy," and praised her for taking care of him throughout their time together. In 2017, the American was diagnosed with alcoholic cardiomyopathy that has led to further health complications, including kidney failure.
And the 'Nature Boy' has told PEOPLE that there won't be any need for divorce proceedings, with their previous ceremony simply a show of commitment, and not an official marriage.
"It was just a ceremony. We were never married," he explained.
Actress Barlow, who Flair first met when they worked together at World Championship Wrestling in 1993, also confirmed that the couple never applied for a wedding certificate and revealed they had been living apart since August last year.
Flair is best renowned for his wrestling exploits in WWE, WCW, and AWA, and as late as August last year was still appearing on new promotions when he participated in NWA 73.
Widely considered the greatest performer of all-time, Flair has also become notorious for his string of marriages, first tying the knot Leslie Goodman in 1971 and after the couple had two children, David and Megan, they divorced in 1983.
That same year he married WWE star Elizabeth Harrel, a partnership which lasted 23 years and also yielded two children - Reid and Charlotte. The latter is currently the WWE Smackdown Women's champion and one of the biggest female stars in the industry.
Flair then married fitness instructor Tiffany VanDemark in 2006 - but she filed for divorce two years later amidst rumours of financial problems and volatile behaviour from her husband.
Finally, he married Jackie Beems in 2009, but she too instigated a divorce after alleging irrational behaviour on behalf of Flair.
