Australian academic and former Iranian prisoner Kylie Moore-Gilbert has made a ‘personal announcement’ online revealing she has officially divorced her husband.
Dr Moore-Gilbert, an Islamic studies scholar, was freed last November in a prisoner swap deal after spending 804 days in an Iranian jail on trumped-up spying charges.
But upon her return she discovered her Russian-Israeli husband Ruslan Hodorov had been having an affair with Dr Kylie Baxter, her university colleague and PhD supervisor, while she was behind bars.
The 33-year-old filed for divorce shortly after her release.
Dr Gilbert discovered that her Russian-Israeli husband, Ruslan Hodorov, had been having an affair with Dr Kylie Baxter (pictured together) after she was release from prison
The 33-year-old filed for divorce shortly after her release after finding out about his incredible betrayal
On Thursday Dr Moore-Gilbert fired up her twitter account to share the news that her relationship status had officially changed.
‘Forgive the irrelevant personal announcement dear Twitter, but… ladies and gentlemen, I am officially divorced! Time for a sneaky kardonnay?’, she wrote.
Alongside the post she shared a clip from early 2000s hit Australian sit-com Kath and Kim featuring a cameo appearance from singer Kylie Minogue.
In the segment, Kath, played by Jane Turner, pulls up her daughter Kim, portrayed by Gina Turner, for pronouncing the wine chardonnay with a ‘K’.
But Kylie interjects to support Kim, seconding her articulation of the French grape variety.
Before her September 2018 arrest Dr Moore-Gilbert and Mr Hodorov had just bought a house in Melbourne’s east after marrying in 2017 in a Jewish ceremony.
They met a decade earlier when she visited Israel, where Mr Hodorov lived after emigrating from Russia with his family.
While imprisoned Dr Moore-Gilbert was kept in a tiny cell in freezing temperatures and was subjected to psychological torture.
Dr Moore-Gilbert declared that it was wine-time after announcing her divorce was finalised
Dr Moore-Gilbert, an Islamic studies scholar, was freed last November in a prisoner swap deal after spending 804 days in an Iranian jail on trumped-up spying charges
Both Mr Hodorov, 31, and Dr Baxter, 43, pushed for Dr Moore-Gilbert’s release after her arrest for espionage in September 2018.
She was given a ten-year sentence but always denied the charges.
Dr Moore-Gilbert and Dr Baxter are both experts in Middle Eastern studies at the University of Melbourne.
She was reported to have suffered ‘immense’ shock on learning of her husband’s betrayal, with friends previously telling the Herald Sun the affair started a year after Dr Moore-Gilbert’s arrest.
She had defended her husband while in prison by refusing to help lure him to Iran in a plot concocted by her captors, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp.
A letter from Dr Moore-Gilbert to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, which was smuggled out of Evin prison, revealed how the IRGC tried to set a trap for Mr Hodorov, who they wrongly accused of being an Israeli spy.
Australian academic Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert shared a cheeky message on Twitter on Thursday in the wake of her divorce
Dr Moore-Gilbert was arrested at Tehran Airport in September 2018 as she attempted to leave the country.
The charges she was convicted of reportedly stemmed from the Iranian authorities’ belief that she was a spy for Israel because of her relationship with an Israeli citizen.
Nick Warner, the head of Australia’s intelligence service, successfully negotiated a prison swap for Dr Moore-Gilbert’s freedom.
He is understood to have spent months convincing people in meetings and even at social functions to get Thai prisoners released – who the Iranian government called ‘businessmen’.
Australia’s ambassador to Thailand, Allan McKinnon, also lobbied with Thai officials to release three Iranian terrorists as an exchange for the Melbourne University lecturer.