But the tensions between them didn’t improve and in December 2008 the couple divorced, with Madonna citing irreconcilable differences.
After the break-up, Madonna came to a decision. She no longer wanted a strong and equal partner in her life; instead she wanted fun at the end of a stressful day, good sex and a few laughs — in short, a companion who’d make few demands of her. And he’d have to be young and hot.
So what if she was 50? She was fully aware that her status as a pop icon made it easy to pull gorgeous twentysomethings, that she could offer them money, travel, celebrity and a sumptuous lifestyle.
And if a young stud found that an attractive package, then she certainly wasn’t going to discourage him.
In late 2008, not long after her divorce was announced, Madonna found the ideal candidate. He was 21 — easily young enough to be her son — intelligent, extremely handsome and had an engaging personality.
She’d met Jesus Luz when he was hired as a model for a magazine photo-shoot. In career terms, he was struggling, but everything changed as soon as he was known to be her lover.
He dumped his agent — the one who’d sent him to the Madonna photo-shoot — and signed with Ford Models.
Within a year, he’d modelled for Dolce & Gabbana in Milan, shown off the winter collection of Pepe Jeans and even attracted the attention of the staid New York Times, who suddenly found Jesus worthy of an in-depth feature.
And by the end of 2009, he was asking for £30,000 a night to work as a guest DJ in nightclubs. Such is the power of Madonna’s stupendous fame.
Yet she didn’t mind at all.
Jesus was a nice kid, she figured, so why shouldn’t he cash in while he could?
Her friends, however, had misgivings. Some were convinced that she was in the midst of a severe mid-life crisis — and to an extent, they were right.
She tried to act like turning 50 was not a big deal for her,’ said a member of her family, ‘but it was. I know for sure that it was.’
Judging by Madonna’s appearance, you’d never have known that she minded.
Her body was slim and toned, the result of yoga workouts and a strict macrobiotic diet.
Her skin glowed. Thanks to Botox, not a line could be detected on her face.
But despite radiating youthfulness, she was finding it hard to accept her advancing years. Jesus was a welcome confidence-booster; he made her feel young and attractive again.
As for Madonna, she came to expect Jesus to be there for her at all times, to listen to her complaints and help solve anything that went wrong.
At any time of the day or night, she could also bask in the admiration that shone from his blue-green eyes.
Towards the end of 2010, however, she was growing restless again.
It had by then been two years since she’d split with Guy, and she was gradually recovering from the trauma.
Jesus had been a pleasant diversion, but they were running out of common ground. Once, for instance, she’d been annoyed by something a reporter had said about the age difference between them. Disgruntled, she told Jesus: ‘My God, it’s not like I’m Joan Collins!’
To which Jesus responded, ‘Um . . . who’s Joan Collins?’
Lately, too, the couple had started bickering over nothing. ‘I have this bad habit,’ Madonna confided to a friend, ‘of being judgmental and critical when I’m losing interest in a guy. That’s sort of my thing, being a real bitch.
‘I’m self-aware enough to know it. I’m just not self-aware enough to stop it.’
Then one day, the scales seemed to fall from her eyes.
Her lover, she realised, was the best and most trustworthy assistant she’d ever had.
The problem was he’d gone from boyfriend to functionary.
From that point on, she began to view him as weak, as not having a life of his own.
Not wanting to drag things out, she was quite cold when she told him the relationship was over.
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