Devil in the detail reveals billionaires Twiggy and Nicola Forrests’ marriage was over months ago

Speculation about the state of billionaire couple Andrew Twiggy Forrest and his wife Nicola’s marriage had been circulating for months before they confirmed their split.

Speculation about the state of billionaire couple Andrew Twiggy Forrest and his wife Nicola’s marriage had been circulating for months before they confirmed their split.

On Wednesday night they issued a statement saying that “after 31 years of marriage we have made the decision to live apart.”

But in reality the couple have been spending increasing amounts of time apart for the last couple of years.

Andrew has spent more time away from the family home overlooking Cottesloe Beach crisscrossing the globe in his quest to tackle climate change. Last week he was in London with US President Joe Biden and King Charles.

For years Nicola had been content to stay in his shadow bringing up their three children, daughters Grace and Sophia and son Sydney.

Minderoo Foundation Chairman Dr. Andrew Forrest. Photo: WA. Frances Andrijich/TWAM

Nicola told ABC’s Australian Story last year that early on a friend had advised her to stay out of the limelight for the sake of their children.

“So I did walk two steps behind, so I would never be in the photographs. It protected me and I didn‘t want a profile so that was fine,” she said.

But now the children are all in their twenties and Nicola has moved into the spotlight.

Grace told the ABC: “Something that has shifted in that is realising that she herself could become a lever and a voice for drawing a line in the sand on issues that she’s been working on for two decades and has seen too little progress on.”

Nicola has become an articulate advocate for causes including early childhood development and the arts.

The couple do not intend to divorce and said the split would have no impact on the “operations, control or direction” of their private investment vehicle Tattarang, listed company Fortescue Metals Group or charity the Minderoo Foundation.

Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest and Nicola Forrest pictured just before announcing their separation after 31 years of marriage. Picture: Supplied.

Shifting assets within those organisations last month, including putting more than $1 billion of Fortescue shares into a company called Coaxial Ventures which is wholly owned by Nicola, raised a red flag that all was not well in the relationship.

Nicola controls more than $10 billion and becomes Australia’s second richest woman behind miner Gina Rinehart with the changes.

In a clear sign the split was planned months ago she has listed her home on company documents not in Perth but at a multimillion-dollar pad in Point Piper in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

The couple continue to share control of Tattarang which holds almost $20 billion of Fortescue shares. It owns a raft of companies including RM Williams, which Nicola has been heavily involved in, and Squadron Energy which Andrew has taken the lead on.

At the same time as restructuring their assets the couple also made a $5 billion donation to their charity The Minderoo Foundation.

“We will continue our shared mission to create and gift our wealth to tackle community and global challenges, as recently shown by last month’s donation of one-fifth of our Fortescue shareholding to Minderoo Foundation,” they said in their statement.

The couple remain united in the belief that their children should not be “burdened” by inheriting their wealth.

Andrew spelled out their values to Nine Newspapers saying that “accumulating wealth should only be a small part of a person. Their contribution to their family and society is way more important.”