Sinead O'Connor single again after just 16 days

Musician Sinead O'Connor has parted from her fourth husband after just 16 days of marriage.

The 45-year-old singer married Barry Herridge, a 38-year-old therapist, in Las Vegas on December 8, but announced on her website that the marriage was over after 16 days, including living together for only seven days, until Christmas Eve.

She wrote: "From the moment myself and my husband got together not long ago, there was intense pressure placed upon him by certain people in his life, not to be involved with me."

These were people who had never met her but had formed opinions of her based on what they read about her in the media.

"Entitled as they are to their opinions about me many perhaps well deserved, there was no righteousness on anyone's part to put my husband through what he was put through as a result of his desire to be with me and to marry me and as a result of his actually marrying me."

She wrote that within three hours of the ceremony being over "the marriage was kyboshed by the behaviour of certain people in my husband's life", adding: "And also by a bit of a wild ride i took us on looking for a bit of a smoke of weed for me wedding night as I don't drink.

"My husband was enormously wounded and very badly effected (sic) by that experience and also by the attitude of those close to him toward our marriage.

"It became apparent to me that if he were to stay with me he would be losing too much to bear. And that being with me was not going to serve him positively, career wise or any other wise.

"I saw his life leave him because of how people close to him reacted. And I can't take anyone's life. And a woman wants to be a joy to her husband. So.. U love someone? Set them free." .

PA