Il Divo Tenor’s Ex-Wife Sues Him, Citing
Sexual and Physical AbuseSébastien Izambard exerted “coercive control” over Renée Izambard and subjected her to
years of psychological abuse and torture, she said.
Sébastien Izambard, a singer in Il Divo, was sued by his former wife, Renée, who accused him of subjecting her to “
years of dangerous psychological abuse and torture, and intense sexual, physical and emotional abuse.” He is shown here in New Zealand in 2018.Credit...Dave Simpson/WireImage, via Getty Images
Sébastien Izambard, a singer in Il Divo, was sued by his former wife, Renée, who accused him of subjecting her to “years of dangerous psychological abuse and torture, and intense sexual, physical and emotional abuse.” He is shown here in New Zealand in 2018.
Melena Ryzik
By Melena Ryzik
May 11, 2021
A tenor in the classical crossover group Il Divo was sued Monday by his ex-wife, who accused him of domestic violence, sexual assault and battery and described his behavior toward her over the years as “a textbook example of coercive control.”
In the suit, filed in state court in Los Angeles, Renée Izambard said that her ex-husband, the singer Sébastien Izambard, had subjected her to “years of dangerous psychological abuse and torture, and intense sexual, physical and emotional abuse, bringing her to the doorstep of death.”
Ms. Izambard, 43, an Australian native who was a music publicist before she married Mr. Izambard, 48, charged in the lawsuit that over the years he had tracked her movements, withheld medical care, subjected her to sex acts without her consent, and threatened to stop supporting their three school-age children.
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Melena Ryzik is a roving culture reporter and was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for public service for reporting on workplace sexual harassment. She covered Oscar season for five years, and has also been a national correspondent in San Francisco and the mid-Atlantic states. More about Melena Ryzik
A version of this article appears in print on May 12, 2021, Section C, Page 3 of the New York edition with the headline: Ex-Wife Accuses Il Divo Tenor of Abuse. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
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