American Idol winner Ruben Studdard has filed for divorce from his wife of three years, former flight attendant Surata Zuri McCants. The “Velvet Teddy Bear” of American Idol season two said in the divorce filing that he has not lived with wife Zuri Studdard since last year.
“Ruben and Zuri have gone their seperate ways,” Studdard’s publicist told E! News. The couple reportedly met in Atlanta while he was signing autographs at a Wal-Mart in 2006. Studdard thought McCants was beautiful and followed her through the store to get her phone number. Some sources allegedly close to the couple have claimed McCants was just a gold digger out to latch on to Studdard’s fame and fortune.
According to court records, Ruben Studdard divorce papers from wife Zuri Studdard were filed in Shelby County, Alabama. The American Idol season two winner lives in a suburb of Birmingham. According to the filing, Zuri Studdard now lives in Smyrna, Georgia near Atlanta.
Rubben Studdard filed for a ‘contested’ divorce citing “complete incompatibility of temperament” and “irreconcilable differences” with his separated wife. He has also asked the judge in the case to enforce a prenuptial agreement with Zuri McCants that she reportedly signed when they got married in 2008.