Chris Martin is devastated over his parents' divorce

The Coldplay frontman is said to be finding it "incredibly difficult emotionally" to come to terms with the end of his mother and father's 30-year marriage.

His father Anthony, 69, has put the family's £1.25 million home in Exeter, South west England on the market after his wife Alison decided to leave.

The family moved there in 1978 when Chris ' the eldest of their five children ' was just a baby.

Now retired accountant and magistrate Anthony is in a new relationship and Alison, 57, is renting a flat in London where she works as a music therapy teacher.

An insider said: 'Chris has always been extremely close to his father, while some of his sisters have had very strong relationships with their mother. But watching his parents split has been heartbreaking for him, and he's desperate to stay close and in regular contact with both of them."

Chris, 33, has been visiting both his parents with his wife Gwyneth Paltrow but is finding it hard to see them live apart.

The source added to the Daily Mirror newspaper: 'Chris visited his mother's new place in London around a week ago, which was a strain for him emotionally. One of the most upsetting aspects of the break-up has been their decision to sell their family home. He was less than one year old when his parents moved in, and the house holds a lot of memories for him.'