Isla Fisher contacted ‘fearsome’ divorce lawyer two years prior to Sacha Baron Cohen split announcement

Isla Fisher is apparently keen on a return to her native Australia. Photo / Getty Images

Isla Fisher reportedly revealed to her pals that she was in talks with a celebrity divorce lawyer two years ago.

New claims suggest that the actress discreetly got in touch with the “fearsome” Fiona Shackleton - the legal expert who assisted Sir Paul McCartney in his £24 million ($50m) divorce from Heather Mills and who charges a whopping £550 ($1150) an hour - back in 2022.

The Sun reached out to a representative of both Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen in June 2022, however, the couple denied it at the time.

Now, the pair have confirmed that they parted ways last year, just a few months after the publication approached them.

Baroness Shackleton, who also negotiated the now-King Charles’ divorce from Princess Diana in 1996, allegedly advised Baron Cohen and Fisher to choose an “amicable route” in the split to keep things civil, reports news.com.au.

Since the announcement, close sources have hinted that there’s a possibility they could battle it out over Baron Cohen’s estimated £40m ($84m) fortune.

It's understood that Sacha Baron Cohen wants to live in London while Isla Fisher wants to return to Australia. Photo / Getty Images

An insider told The Sun: “Isla has known for some time the marriage was over, and after some difficult conversations with Sacha, made the decision to consult a divorce lawyer.

“This was back in early summer 2022.

“Fiona Shackleton was recommended by mutual contacts, and Isla was put in touch with an associate at the office.”

What’s more, The Mail on Sunday divulged that the reason the pair have decided to part ways is because of a disagreement they had over where they wanted to be based, after splitting their time between Los Angeles and Australia.

Divorce speculation “began to swirl last year when the couple began househunting in London”, according to the media outlet.

The publication alleged that Baron Cohen was “itching to return to London, while his wife was happier in her native Australia”.

Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher have announced they are splitting. Photo / Getty Images

“The disagreement over where they lived is said to have taken its toll on the pair, who had been together since 2001,” the report claimed.

In 2020, Baron Cohen and Fisher moved to Sydney during the Covid-19 pandemic, but then relocated to Perth, where the Wedding Crashers actress’ family lives, in 2021.

One of the couple’s friends told The Mail on Sunday: “The return to the UK came from nowhere.

“They had been living away from Britain for a while and they weren’t expected to relocate.

“But things were becoming difficult and, as they say, home is where the heart is. Perhaps Sacha thought that would make things better.

“It didn’t, though – things just crumbled and crumbled.”