Usher’s divorce filing surprises his wife

Couple was intimate less than week before, she claims

	Tameka Raymond and singer Usher were married in July 2007 and have two young sons.
Ethan Miller / Getty Images

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updated 7:40 p.m. ET June 30, 2009

ATLANTA - The wife of R&B singer Usher was surprised when the entertainer filed for divorce earlier this month and claims the two were intimate less than a week before he moved to end the marriage, according to court documents.

Tameka Raymond, 38, disputes Usher's claims the couple have been separated since July 2008. She said in court documents filed Monday in Fulton County Superior Court that she "had every reason to believe her marriage was intact" and that two were "intimately together as husband and wife as recently as June 6."

Usher, whose real name is Usher Raymond IV, filed for divorce June 12, claiming there is "no reasonable hope of reconciliation" and the marriage is "irretrievably broken." He is seeking joint custody of the couple's two sons, 1 1/2-year-old Usher Raymond V and 6-month-old Naviyd Ely Raymond.

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Tameka Raymond has three children from a previous marriage. She said through her divorce attorney, Randy Kessler, that she has been a faithful wife and loving mother during the marriage.

In Monday's filing, Tameka Raymond asked a judge to ensure that Usher continues to support his family while the divorce works its way through the courts, including paying her legal fees.

The couple married in August 2007 in a lavish ceremony. About 200 people attended their wedding at a resort built in the style of a 16th-century-style French chateau on 3,500 hilly acres outside Atlanta.

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A call to Usher's divorce lawyer was not immediately returned Tuesday.

Before the two married, Usher had a string of romances, most notably his three-year relationship with Chilli from the group TLC.

The Grammy-winning artist's hits include "Confessions," "Burn," "You Make Me Wanna" and "Yeah!"