Former Ivory Coast and Chelsea striker, Didier Drogba, has publicly announced his marriage has ended.

The ex-footballer has previously maintained a discreet private life as he tried to shield his loved ones from the limelight.

But he has been forced into making a statement confirming his 10-year-old marriage with his wife, Lalla Diakate was over after saucy images of him and an unknown woman set tongues wagging.

The intimate photos and clips soon went viral on social media. In one of the clips, the Blues idol was seen bare-chested with a nearly-naked young woman, The Sun.co.uk reports.

In the film, which a representative claimed had been hacked, the mystery woman playfully sinks her teeth into Drogba‘s shoulder as he screams in pain.

Drogba, 42, then speaks to her in French about being bitten, and appears to say:

“She’s positive! She’ll infect me by biting me!”

That sparked headlines in his native West African homeland. And it prompted him to break his silence and admit he and Mali-born Lalla have gone their separate ways. Drogba wrote on Instagram:

“I’m not in the habit of discussing my private life.

“But, because of speculation in the media today, I can confirm that sadly, after 20 years together, Lalla and I took the difficult decision to separate last year.

“We remain very close, and our main priorities have been to protect our children and our family’s private life.

“May God bless you.”

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Drogba met Lalla Diakate in the late 1990s in Paris and they tied the knots in 2011.

Drogba enjoyed two spells at Chelsea, first arriving at Stamford Bridge under Jose Mourinho in 2004 and embarking on an epic eight-year spell in the capital.

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He returned in 2014 for a year-long stint and helped to take his tally to 104 goals in 254 top-flight matches for the club.

Drogba also won a host honours at Stamford Bridge, including four Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2012.