We have been living separate lives for years, says Nigel Farage's wife

Nigel Farage's wife has said she and her husband have been living "separate lives" for some years.

Kirsten Farage said that the former Ukip leader moved out of their family home in Kent "a while ago".

German-born Kirsten's announcement came in the wake of unconfirmed press reports that Mr Farage was sharing a house in London with a French woman politician.

Contacted by the Press Association, Mr Farage declined to make any response to his wife's comments.

The couple married in 1999, after Mr Farage's divorce from his first wife, and have two children.

In a statement released to the Press Association, Mrs Farage said: "My husband and I have lived separate lives for some years and he moved out of the family home a while ago.

"This is a situation that suits everyone and is not news to any of the people involved."

She urged reporters not to "doorstep" her family home, saying: "Having press camped out in front of my house is extremely distressing, especially for my children. Please let us get on with our lives."

The Mail on Sunday reported at the weekend that Laure Ferrari - who runs the Institute for Direct Democracy in Europe (IDDE) - has been living in the former Ukip leader's house in Chelsea for the past week.

Mr Farage told the newspaper that he was helping her out because she needed accommodation and had nowhere else to stay.

"She is someone I have worked with and known well for a long time who wanted somewhere to stay for a week that wouldn't cost her any money. It's a working relationship," he was quoted as saying.

The MoS said that Mr Farage had told its reporters last month that he spent most week nights at a "bachelor pad" and denied that he had split from his wife.

Last November the Electoral Commission announced it was opening an investigation into whether Ukip had accepted "impermissible donations" from IDDE and the Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europe (ADDE), the political party it is affiliated to.

It followed an audit by the European Parliament which concluded that ADDE and IDDE used EU grant funding for the benefit of Ukip in breach of its rules.

The claims have been strongly contested by Ukip.

Ms Ferrari, who first became involved in politics as a result of a chance meeting with Mr Farage 10 years ago while she was working as a waitress in Strasbourg, said she had been forced to move out of her own flat after the European Parliament stopped IDDE's funding.

"I have no trustworthy friends in London who could have hosted me. I asked and he accepted. He is just trying to be helpful," she told The Mail on Sunday.