los angeles reality tv star kim kardashian has filed for divorce from rapper kanye west after almost seven years of marriage her publicist told afp fridaythe megacelebrity couples divorce proceedings come just weeks after us media reported the pair were living separately and going through counseling dealing with regular relationship issuescelebrity gossip site tmz which broke the news friday said the separation was as amicable as a divorce can bekardashian 40 is asking for joint custody of the couples four children it added with her lawyer laura wasser reportedly handing in the divorce papers fridaykardashians publicist confirmed the divorce filing but did not provide further detailsthe pair who began dating in 2012 and married in a lavish ceremony in italy two years later rapidly became one of the worlds most instantly recognizable couplesbut their union has been dogged for months by reports in the gossip press that their marriage was on the rocks as west has battled with mental health issues and launched an improbable and controversial foray into us politicswest 43 has opened up about his struggles with bipolar disorderin july last year the mercurial entertainment mogul launched a bid for the us presidency with a rambling speech during which he revealed he had wanted to abort his daughter and broke down in tearshe also posted a series of tweets later deleted that accused his wife and motherinlaw of trying to lock him up and suggested he was seeking a divorcekardashian called on the media and public to show compassion and empathy following her husbands erratic behaviorthose that understand mental illness or even compulsive behavior know that the family is powerless unless the member is a minor kardashian said in her lengthy instagram post in julythe couple have four children sevenyearold daughter north son saint five daughter chicago three and 21monthold son psalmaside from family visits west has been living at his sprawling ranch in wyoming in recent months while kardashian and the children stayed in californiait would be the first divorce for west and the third for kardashian who came to fame with the us reality tv series keeping up with the kardashians which followed the lives of her family members in los angeleschicagoraised rapper and record producer west has won 21 grammys he burst onto the rap scene on his production chops before delivering a string of critically acclaimed studio albums selling over 20 million copieshe has made a very public turn to christian evangelism in recent years finally releasing his longawaited gospel albumthe pair began dating in 2012 while kardashian was going through divorce proceedings with second husband kris humphriesfirst child north was born in june 2013 and the couple married the following year at a 16thcentury fortress in florence italy after a prewedding celebration held at versailles palace in france