Matthijs de Ligt's ex-wife speaks out on divorce 'hell': Model AnneKee Molenaar bares all on split after Man United star 'couldn't handle' her 'spiritual' lifestyle

Matthijs de Ligt's model ex-wife says facing up to their divorce was 'hell' – and says the break-up brought 'physical pain'.

AnneKee Molenaar, 26, split from the 27-year-old Manchester United star last year, only 12 months after they got married, but insists they still 'love' each other platonically.

Daily Mail Sport previously reported how Molenaar's 'spiritual' lifestyle and social media output – centred around crystals, tarot cards, flower remedies, and alchemy – had seemingly come between them.

De Ligt could apparently 'no longer handle AnneKee's exaggerated "spiriwiri-content"', according to Realityfbi. He and Molenaar got married in June 2024 after years of dating, right from when he was a teenager at Ajax, but the spiritual content had been a theme for years even before he popped the big question in 2023.

The Dutch defender is now dating a model called Amber Yuusef, while Molenaar is single and open to finding love again.

She told RTL Boulevard that facing her feelings was 'hell': 'It has been a tough year. A year with a lot of change, but also a year I am very grateful for.

Matthijs de Ligt's model ex-wife AnneKee Molenaar says divorcing has been 'hell' (Instagram: annekeemolenaar)

Molenaar says their break-up has caused 'physical pain' and that they still 'love' each other platonically (Instagram: annekeemolenaar)

'It was like I was having open-heart surgery,' she said of their divorce just a year after their wedding (Instagram: annekeemolenaar)

'It is an abrupt change and you miss something and you are sad about that. You are in pain. I really experienced it as something physical. Just physical pain... that is really just a process of grieving.'

'It was like I was having open-heart surgery and someone was blowing on my heart. That is how fragile and vulnerable I felt. Bruised.

'I understand that people think: something must have happened there. I hate to say it, but that is really just not the case.

'We had a wonderful time all those years, and yet last year we came to the conclusion that it is no longer there in a romantic way.

'There is a lot of love between Matthijs and me. There really is a lot of love. I think the most loving thing we did was saying: you go this way and I go that way.'

Molenaar is currently writing a book about alchemy, one of her passions which she has an Instagram page about.

Alchemy is a broad category but is partly known as a Middle Ages science in which individuals tried to transform regular metals into gold.

In March last year she passed a course dealing with flower remedies at the Bach Centre, a foundation devoted to following the practices of Dr Edward Bach, a British physician who believed that illnesses developed from a negative state of mind. She has continued following his teaching as recently as this month.

Her increasingly 'spiritual' lifestyle - centred around crystals, tarot cards, flower remedies, and alchemy - reportedly got on De Ligt's nerves (Instagram: annekeemolenaar)

She regularly posts about what she has been studying and is bringing out a book (Instagram: annekeemolenaar)

In June, De Ligt confirmed that he was dating Amber Yuusef after the duo were spotted kissing and cuddling in Ibiza.

He was confronted by the photos and addressed it on Realityfbi's Instagram account, after some screenshot allegations that Yuusef was only attracted to his fame and money.

'Normally I never feel the need to respond, but I do this time,' he said.

'In this day and age, we know that anything can be faked, and that is the case with this screenshot as well.

'Amber and I are getting to know each other better, and we would like to do that in privacy.'

De Ligt isn't the first footballer that Yuusef has been romantically linked with. As reported by Sportnieuws, she was spotted cuddling Jobe Bellingham, the brother of Real Madrid and England star Jude Bellingham, last year.

As for his on-field excursions, De Ligt underwent surgery in May and is yet to feature for United this season. He made the bench against Atletico Madrid.

Michael Carrick issued a positive update recently, saying: 'I'm definitely comfortable with him playing.

De Ligt has been recovering from a long-term injury and surgery and was on the bench against Atletico Madrid

'Of course, there is the element of when that time is and how much it is. He played a little bit of the Lausanne [friendly] game and he's done a fair bit of training but, of course, we're working our way through it.

'So it's not too much, too soon. I've definitely got the confidence in him, no doubt about that.'

The injury meant he was ruled out of the Netherlands World Cup squad but ended uncertainty about the issue.

Speaking in May, he said: 'Since November I have done everything, pushing myself in every session and exploring every option, to get back to doing what I love, playing football.

'I am grateful to everyone who has supported me throughout a difficult period in my career. I remain as determined as ever to represent Manchester United and play in front of our incredible supporters as soon as possible.'