Button relieved Japanese girlfriend unhurt

Barcelona: Jenson Button, the 2009 Formula One world champion, says he is relieved to have made contact with his girlfriend who was unhurt in the earthquake which struck Japan.

The racing driver said Japanese model Jessica Michibata his girlfriend of two years had been in an underground photo shoot in Tokyo when tremors began to rock the building yesterday. He said the only way of getting in touch had been through Twitter. “She’s fine, very shaken,” said Button, who became a big star in Japan after beginning a relationship with the 26-year-old model from Fukui Prefecture in the north, close to quake’s epicenter.“Right now, my thoughts go out to everybody in Japan, particularly in the worst-affected area of Sendai. My heart is with them,” Button said. PTI