Larry King says 26-year age difference between him and wife 'became an issue'

TV host has been divorced seven times before

Larry King says age difference between him and wife 'took its toll' (Getty)

Larry King has partly blamed the 26-year age difference between him and his wife Shawn Southwick King for the end of their marriage.

Last year, the 86-year-old filed for divorce from Southwick King after 22 years of marriage.

According to King, who had been married seven times before they tied the knot in 1997, the age difference eventually took a “toll,” with the couple getting to a point where they “didn’t get along”.

“We had a big age difference and that eventually takes its toll,” King told People. “It became an issue. Also, [Shawn] is a very religious Mormon and I’m an agnostic atheist, so that eventually causes little problems.”

King also acknowledged that his career, which he says “always came first,” played a part in the eventual demise of his and Southwick King’s relationship.

Couple announced intention to divorce after 22 years of marriage (Getty)

“I never cheated on my wives,” he said, before revealing: “My career always came first. I used to say if CNN called with an emergency and my wife called with an emergency, I’d call CNN back first.”

But, while the TV host says the couple was able to “overcome a lot,” King’s near-fatal stroke in May 2019 put things into perspective, and he realised that he wanted to be “happy”.

“I thought a lot about what I wanted the rest of my life to be,” he said of the period after the health scare. “When there are moments of unhappiness in a marriage, you can overcome it at 40, but at my age, it became a lot.

“I wanted to be happy. Separating was of course difficult. But there is nothing worse than arguing.”

Despite separating, King says he wishes his former wife and the mother of his two sons Chance, 20, and Cannon, 19, “nothing but the best”.

“We love each other,” he said.