Distance and schedules behind divorce, says Russell Brand

Washington: Comedian Russell Brand has blamed distance and busy schedules for his failed marriage to pop star Katy Perry.

The star couple tied the knot in India in October 2010 and the relationship was persistently dogged by split rumours until Perry filed papers to end their union in December 2011. The couple’s divorce was officially finalised on Monday. The actor, who recently hinted that the singer was ‘a pain-in-the-ass’, however insists that his love for the singer was genuine. "(Before) we got married, I just thought, ``I``ve got to marry her, I just love her so much.`` And then we got married and I thought, ``OK, this isn``t really working out’,” Contactmusic quoted him as saying in an interview with U.S. ‘shock jock’ Howard Stern. “I was really, really in love with her, but it was difficult to see each other... We were together when it was right to be together, and when it wasn``t we worked it out... It was a lovely relationship... it mostly didn``t work for practical reasons,” he said. According to rumours, the couple’s split came in the wake of Brand``s desire to start a family, but the British actor refused to admit that they parted ways over conflicting views. "She``s young, successful and dedicated... I was really into the idea of marriage and having children... I don``t want to be too glib. She``ll read (about what I said) and she``ll be sad and I don``t want that... I don``t want anything to hurt her... She``s beautiful and she``s sensitive and I care about her deeply,” he added. ANI