Mexican artist Alicia Villarreal confirmed that she is legally divorced from entertainment entrepreneur Cruz Martínez, her husband of 22 years and the father of her two youngest children. However, what she has described as "a nightmare" appears to be far from over, as she continues to fear for her safety.
"We've reached the end of a first cycle that had to be closed and concluded well. There's still a story, so many years and the family, everything that happens within that great illusion that you once had... Yes, it was important to reach that point of achieving my freedom. I needed to get out of where I feel that hadn't gone well for me," Villarreal told the entertainment news program Ventaneando , which is broadcast on TV Azteca and its international channels from Mexico.
However, she admitted, this doesn't mean her complicated relationship with the father of her children, Cruz Ángelo and Félix Estéfano, and stepfather of her eldest daughter, Melanie Carmona, is over. Villarreal is still in the process of separating assets and filing a lawsuit against her now ex-husband for alleged domestic violence.
Alicia Villarreal confirma su divorcio con Cruz Martínez, después haber estado casados por más de 20 años. 😱 https://t.co/B5aij4Jus4
— Ventaneando (@VentaneandoUno) August 7, 2025
A long divorce
The couple kept their separation private for much of 2023 and kept it quiet until February 2025, when the artist made a gesture that she had been abused by her partner during a concert.
But this was not the reason for the long divorce process.
"I started this whole process in 2023, and since I was married in the United States, I had to do a lot of things here, paperwork, and that doesn't happen quickly. We worked, but at a very forced pace. We formed a great team that we were able to achieve," the artist added.
Asked about the division of her assets, Villarreal stated: "I think we can share some information about that later."
The domestic violence lawsuit
The artist filed a complaint for physical abuse against Martínez in the Mexican state of Nuevo León. Villarreal's now ex-husband had not appeared before the court handling the case and was therefore declared a fugitive from justice.
His lawyers obtained an injunction and are now waiting for a new date to continue the process.
