Celebrity

Victor Voronov 'Devastated' by Johnny Weir's Divorce Decision

The lawyer was shocked to learn that the Olympic figure skater had been planning the split for months

and

Published on March 21, 2014 05:30 PM

Johnny Weir‘s estranged husband Victor Voronov was shocked and saddened to learn the skater filed for divorce Wednesday, a spokesperson for Voronov tells PEOPLE.

“He’s totally heartbroken. Victor entered the marriage for one purpose only – because he loved Johnny,” says Wendy Feldman, Voronov’s legal crisis manager.

“He took a big life-changing risk in entering the marriage, because he wasn’t out [as gay]. He’s devastated.”

“His family and friends are rallying around him and supporting him right now,” Feldman adds.

A Domestic Dispute

Weir, 29, and Voronov, 30, were the picture of wedded bliss when they married two years ago in an intimate civil ceremony. But Weir’s complaint for divorce notes a temporary restraining order that was filed on Jan. 23 and dismissed the following day. The couple also appeared in court March 5, asking a judge to dismiss charges made against Weir following a violent domestic dispute, Radar Online reported.

Weir discussed the incident with Access Hollywood Thursday, confirming it took place before he headed to Sochi, Russia, as an NBC commentator for the Winter Olympics.

“I was defending myself and it’s unfortunate that there was a mark left on his body because as soon as the police came to our home, the first thing he did was show this mark,” Weir says. “I knew then he didn’t really care that much and all he is out to do is hurt me.”

But a lawyer representing Voronov painted a different picture of the altercation.

“Johnny convinced Victor to dismiss the domestic violence complaint with promises that they were going to work on their marriage, so Victor went along with that, not know[ing] that Johnny had already filed a complaint for divorce,” says Susan Reach Winters of the Budd Larner legal firm in Short Hills, N.J.

A Reluctant Breadwinner

Voronov, who is a lawyer, ceased working to allow Weir – a 2006 and 2010 Olympian – flexibility in his employment opportunities.

“Victor gave up his job for the marriage and moved to New Jersey at Johnny’s request. They had very traditional roles – Victor supported Johnny in his career and here is Victor, getting the rug pulled out from him,” Winters tells PEOPLE.

“Victor worked with and for Johnny in every way – as a partner, lover, friend and legal advisor – everything,” Feldman says. “So he is unemployed right now. He’s looking for a job.”

However, Weir says his husband chose his own path, telling Access Hollywood he wanted Voronov to work outside of the home.

“I was supporting two people and whether it seems like a big deal or not, I come from a lower-middle class family that has to work no matter what,” Weir explained to the show’s host Billy Bush. “If you can’t be an attorney this week, then you better go get a job next week, otherwise the bills won’t get paid.”

A Disputed Timeline

The exact sequence of events is also a point of contention for Weir and Voronov’s camps. Weir filed for divorce Feb. 12 and signed a complaint for divorce, obtained by PEOPLE, citing “irreconcilable differences” on Jan. 28, prior to the Sochi Olympics, Winters confirms. Still, Voronov’s lawyers say he was unaware Weir was ending the marriage until this week.

“The timeline is problematic because it doesn’t match what Johnny was telling Victor,” Feldman says. “Johnny [said he] wanted to stay in the marriage and that he wanted Victor to drop the domestic violence case and that they would work it out. But the paperwork says otherwise.”

Winters confirms to PEOPLE that Voronov wanted to work on their relationship and had no idea that Weir had already filed a complaint for divorce. A Weir source counters by telling PEOPLE that divorce had previously been discussed by the couple multiple times. “Victor was very aware,” the source says.

Regardless of how the divorce proceedings began, the couple had hit a rough patch, according to a source close to Voronov. Their marriage began to deteriorate as the retired figure skater stepped into the public eye once again as a sports commentator, the insider explains.

“It was tumultuous but that is to be expected when you get involved with Johnny Weir,” the source tells PEOPLE. “As Johnny’s star has started to rise again, so has his ego. That has been difficult to live with.”