Divorce proceedings for Mr and Mrs Porteous are officially underway, lawyers representing Mrs Porteous confirmed late yesterday evening.

"Today [July 9] divorce papers have been lodged with the Family Court of Western Australia on behalf of Ms Porteous," a representative from Perth firm HHG Legal Group told online magazine The Starfish.

Neither Mrs or Mr Porteous have commented further on their fractured relationship.

A former neighbour of the high-flying couple, Graeme Powell, said he was not surprised about the split.

"Very strange marriage in the first place, in more ways than one," he said.

Yesterday Mrs Porteous, the woman Gina Rinehart hired as a housekeeper who then went on to marry her father, told The Starfish about the decision to separate from Mr Porteous – a man she married less than six months after Mr Hancock's death.

"Yes, it's true, but I have no further comment," Mrs Porteous told the magazine.

This will be Mrs Porteous' third divorce. She legally separated from her first and second husbands - Julian Teodoro and Patrick Kuan - whilst planning her wedding to Mr Hancock.

She is now hoping to live a quiet life in Perth and spend quality time with her daughter Johanna and her three poodles – Denis, Lulu and Snoopy.

Filipino-born Mrs Porteous married Mr Hancock in 1985, after she worked as his housekeeper. He was 39 years her senior.

The marriage upset Mr Hancock's only child Mrs Rinehart – who engaged in a decade-long court battle with Mrs Porteous, contesting the division of his estate.

The couple built their famous 16-room love nest, Prix D'Amour, in 1990 in the exclusive suburb of Mosman Park, which went on to become a tourist attraction.

The then-Mrs Hancock said the $7 million home was inspired by Gone With The Wind. Before its demolition in 2006, the house was listed for sale with a price tag of $30 million.

During their high-profile marriage Mrs Porteous purchased and destroyed a Bentley in the same day and surprised Mr Hancock with a life sized mannequin of herself on his 79th birthday.

Mrs Porteous has retreated from the Perth social scene over the years.

She told Andrew Denton in an interview in 2003 that she understands poodles better than men and was beginning to feel isolated and alone.

"I get lonely. I get very, very lonely. Yes. Especially in Perth. I do," she said.

It is believed she is now happy to have reconnected with her daughter from her marriage to Mr Kuan.

The pair became estranged following Mr Hancock's death in 1992 when she referred to her mother during a 60 Minutes as a "gold digger" and a "mail order bride".

This will be the second time Mrs Porteous has filed for divorce from Mr Porteous after she missed a court date to finalise the split in 2002.

The pair have been married for 20 years.

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