Los Angeles: Singer Joe Jonas is said to be hoping he can develop a more civil relationship with his estranged wife Sophie Turner.
The singer, 34, and the 27-year-old ‘Game of Thrones’ actress, who have daughters Willow, three, and 15-month-old Delphine, started mediation on Wednesday, October 4 in New York City after sources said their divorce took a nasty turn over child custody issues.
An insider told Page Six: “Joe is committed to making it work with Sophie in mediation and doesn’t want to put up a fight – as long as they can come to a fair agreement on the kids.”
The couple’s mediation sessions are expected to last four days, according to their attorneys, who said during a court hearing on Tuesday the goal is to establish a co-parenting plan for their two kids, reports aceshowbiz.com.
Sophie sued Jonas Brothers performer Joe in September for the “immediate return” of their kids to the “forever home” they had planned to buy in England prior to their separation.
The actress claimed in court documents Joe recently had a change of heart and was withholding Willa and Delphine’s passports to keep them in the US.
A representative for Joe later said he was “OK with the kids being raised both in the US and the UK.”
The spokesperson also described Sophie’s use of the word “abduction” in her emergency lawsuit as “misleading at best and a serious abuse of the legal system at worst.”
A Manhattan federal judge set a trial date of January 2, 2024, for the custody battle, which will follow the December 9 conclusion of the Jonas Brothers’ ongoing US tour. Joe and Sophie have in the meantime agreed to keep their girls in New York.
The singer filed for divorce from the actress in September, and while the pair said in a joint statement at the time the end of their four-year marriage was a “united decision,” Sophie claimed in her lawsuit she had “found out through the media” Joe was leaving her, which he denied.
A source previously told Page Six “divorce was a last resort” for Joe, but claimed he had “reached a point where he felt that he had exhausted all options to salvage the marriage.”
–IANS