Madonna wears some seriously killer heels at the New York premiere of her directorial debut, "Filth and Wisdom," on Oct. 13. (©WireImage.com) More Photos

Were those handgun-heeled Chanel shoes Madonna wore to Monday's New York premiere of her directorial debut "Filth and Wisdom" a coded message that she was finally ready to pull the trigger on her rumor-plagued marriage to Guy Ritchie?

On Wednesday, the couple, who over the course of their nearly eight-year marriage has weathered countless breakup reports and the desert island disaster that was "Swept Away," revealed that they've decided to go their separate ways.

"Madonna and Guy Ritchie have agreed to divorce after seven-and-a-half years of marriage," their respective reps confirmed in a statement. "They have both requested that the media maintain respect for their family at this difficult time."

The announcement came on the heels of deafening tabloid chatter that the Ritchies, who are parents to Lourdes, 12 (her dad is Carlos Leon), Rocco, 8, and David, 2, were really, truly kaput this time.

According to the London Sun, Madonna and Guy decided to take the bust-up public because they "can't bear to live with the pretense any longer."

So, what was the tipping point for their troubled union?

They've allegedly had "a string of shouting matches" involving everything from their time-consuming careers to where to live (he preferred to stay in London; she wanted to spend more time in the U.S.) to her apparent wish to adopt another child from Malawi.

The picture-painting paper says the squabbles "smashed" reconciliation efforts "like a sledgehammer."

"It's very sad," says a mole. "They were a great couple and brilliant parents. They just couldn't live together anymore."

Guy and Madonna walk their last red carpet together at the London premiere of "RocknRolla" on Sept. 1. (©Retna Ltd.)

Not that they didn't try.

The New York Post reports that Ritchie jetted to Manhattan a few weeks ago to take an "intensive Kabbalah course" with his red string-devoted spouse in a "last-ditch attempt" to salvage the marriage.

"Despite huge attempts to patch things up, they both knew deep down that divorce was on the cards. It wasn't a matter of 'if' but 'when,'" the source explains to the Sun. "They tried hard over the last few months, but their fighting was getting out of control."

Meanwhile, the London Daily Mail speculates that Ritchie could pocket a record-setting divorce settlement from his moneybags spouse (word is they didn't have a prenup), estimating the potential payout in the hundreds of millions.

The paper adds that the relationship has grown "so strained" in recent days that the pair has been communicating through their assistants.

"They have both been fighting and the marriage has been on the rocks for weeks. Guy has been the one who has come to the conclusion that enough is enough," relays a "close friend" of the estranged duo. "Guy has been saying that they both have separate lives at the moment. Madonna spends too much time in the gym and she is obsessed with trying to look years younger than her real age. Guy feels that Madonna does not focus on him anymore."

Ritchie's focus was most definitely on his well-muscled missus back in August, when he organized a lavish bash in London to celebrate her 50th birthday, even paying tribute to her finer qualities in a heartfelt speech in front of friends and family.

"She looks better now than she ever has done," he reportedly gushed. "I'm so proud. I love her so much."

The soiree came amid yet another round of rift rumors, this time involving a third party.

Not only did Madonna reportedly meet with the same British attorney who represented Paul McCartney in his bitter divorce battle with Heather Mills, but she was also accused of having an "affair of the heart" with New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, whose divorce was finalized last month.

The allegations were vehemently denied on both sides, with Madonna maintaining to People in July, "I want to officially and for the record state the following facts: My husband and I are not planning on getting a divorce. ... I am not romantically involved in any way with Alex Rodriguez."

Madonna carries son David in New York on Oct. 1. (©WireImage.com)

However, eyebrows were raised earlier this month when the pop icon, currently on the North American leg of her Sticky & Sweet tour, was spied enjoying a "cozy dinner" with the baseballer at a New York eatery, a meet-up their reps insist never happened.

But a Madonna insider asserts to Us that they "are definitely romantic," with a Rodriguez source adding, "A-Rod and Madonna are more involved than ever. Alex has really missed spending time with Madonna. However, he understands the position Madonna's in."

According to the Madonna confidant, "Guy is not involved in this equation. With or without A-Rod, Madonna and Guy haven't been 'together' for over a year -- they have been privately separated. Madonna, however, wanted to finish her world tour before divorcing."

The Sun says that plan was kiboshed by the seemingly fed-up filmmaker, who is currently directing Robert Downey Jr. in "Sherlock Holmes."

"Madonna wanted a highly stage-managed separation, with their split being announced when it was convenient for her," the spy tells the paper. "She didn't want the distraction while she is trying to concentrate on her tour."

Now, they are supposedly determined to finalize the divorce before Christmas, right around the time they would have celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary.

The cracks in the relationship apparently widened around the time of Ritchie's low-key 40th birthday last month, a celebration his exercise-enthusiast wife cut out of early.

Their tiffs "were so bad," alleges the Sun's insider, that Madonna "ended up storming out of the house," and Guy supposedly declared that "if they were going to split, it has to be now."

"Lately Guy has been putting his foot down about a lot of stuff," adds the source. "He is sick of his career taking a backseat to hers ... When Madonna first moved to the U.K., she loved the idea of becoming an English rose. But slowly it turned sour. ... She doesn't have many friends here, and as she has turned 50, she has become very philosophical and started wondering what it's all about."

But back in April, she appeared to have it all figured out as she explained to Elle UK why she and Guy were a good fit.

"I had to marry someone as tough as me," said Madonna. "Guy's definitely tough; he doesn't give in. But he's obviously been put in front of me to teach me things and vice versa. I had to marry a challenge, otherwise I would just get bored. Whatever else Guy is, he's never boring."