The phenomenal partnership of the self-created entertainment sensation and the very British bloke remains a global fascination. Its conclusion has only heightened the interest of what went on - and what finally went wrong - during the multi-million dollar marriage. Having reported on Madonna for nearly two decades, Douglas Thompson now gives the full account of their turbulent lives, loves and time together. He explains why Madonna, the mistress of reinvention, decided, at 50 - 'I see it as another excuse to have a party' - to rewrite the mid-life rules. This is the full story of the clash of cultures that ended the Mr and Mrs Madonna fairytale.