Woman divorces paralysed husband and weds his best mate – so they can look after him TOGETHER
Xie Xiping has since gone on to have one more child with her new partner
A WOMAN has divorced her paralysed husband and married his best friend - so that they can look after him together.
Xie Xiping, from China, has been caring for her partner Xu Xihan for 14 years since a mining accident in 2002 left him unable to move from the waist down.
She went on to divorce Xu, 41, and married his best mate Liu Zongkui and the family now live together with their children, reports the .
Xu and Xie got hitched in 1996.
In 1997 Xie gave birth to a baby girl, and after a few years the pair welcomed a son into the world.
But in 2002 while Xu was working in a coal mine in Shiquan Country, in north-west China's Shaanxi Province, a boulder hit him and left him paralysed for life at the age of 27.
Xu was awarded 40,000 yuan (£4,137) in compensation and Xie became his primary carer.
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But Xu was under no illusions when the couple's neighbours told him they suspected his wife would leave him after a few months when it all became too much.
He recalled: "When the accident happened, I realised that I had no feeling left in my legs, and my first thought was that my family life would totally collapse."
He started telling Xie, who was also just 27 at the time, that she should divorce him and take their children to start a new life and be happy with someone else.
Initially devoted Xie refused to listen, choosing to remain to care for him.
But as time went on, she took her husband's advice and the couple divorced in 2009.
However, Xie didn't choose to marry any old fella.
Instead she struck up a relationship with his colleague and friend Liu Zongkui, under Xu's recommendation, and the couple eventually got wed.
In 2012 she gave birth to Liu's son and now the family all happily live together under one roof.
