Ozzy Osbourne Denounces Alleged Associate’s Claims That Marital Split Was a Publicity Stunt

The marital woes of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne have been in the headlines for the better part of the last month, but a man claiming to be a former associate of Ozzy's has stated that he feels that their split was a publicity stunt. However, Ozzy Osbourne was quick to retort to Steven Machat's claims, disputing his account of things and also calling into question Machat's past association with Osbourne.

Machat gave an interview to Radar Online that also appeared in the Daily Mail in which he claimed to be Osbourne's former manager before Sharon took over managing the singer. In his interview, Machat stated, "I would put money on a publicity stunt. They're on a Black Sabbath tour. She would do this in a minute. It's propaganda." Later in the interview, Machat also stated, "Sharon is clever enough to make a story that the press would read, so all of a sudden he becomes relevant again." He went on to attack Sharon Osbourne's character, stating that he felt that Sharon was "in love with the fact that ... she could milk him for money. That's how I saw it."

After the story appeared in both publications, Osbourne posted a statement to his Facebook page tagging both Radar Online and the Daily Mail, first calling out Machat's association. Ozzy stated that he was never managed by or employed Machat at any point in his career. He then added, "His representation of this is a categorical lie." Read Osbourne's full statement below:

Reports surfaced in early May that Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne had split, and the news was confirmed by Sharon while appearing on her daytime talk show, The Talk. Reports stated that the reason for the split did not have anything to do with Ozzy lapsing in his sobriety, but there have been rumors of Ozzy cheating outside of the marriage, something that Sharon hinted at but never came right out and stated during her appearance on The Talk. Meanwhile, daughter Kelly Osbourne tweeted the phone number of the alleged "other woman." Within a week after the report broke, Sharon was with Ozzy at a press conference announcing the Ozzfest Meets Knotfest combined musical weekend.

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