Elizabeth Hurley's Beau Close to Finalizing Divorce  9/30/05

Model/actress Elizabeth Hurley will soon be able to wed her long-term lover Arun Nayar after his estranged wife finally agreed to divorce the Indian businessman.

Nayar began dating the Estee Lauder model in December 2002 only weeks after splitting from his Italian wife Valentina Pedroni.

The court battle over their divorce began last year (04) when Pedroni demanded a payout of $1.1 million (#620,000), which Nayar rejected. Nayar sought to divorce Pedroni on grounds of mental torture, accusing her of treating him "in a most cruel manner".

British newspaper Daily Mirror reports Pedroni has agreed to formally end their marriage if Nayar drops the mental cruelty claims and the case is transferred from Mumbai (Bombay), India to London, where Nayar currently resides with Hurley and her young son Damian.