Mary Kay LeTourneau
Mary Kay LeTourneau sits in a courtroom at the Regional Justice Center in Kent, Washington in this November 14, 1997 file photo. Reuters/Str/Files SV

Vili Fualaau and Mary Kay Letourneau are splitting so he could start a weed business. Fualaau said he still loves his former teacher and he only filed for marriage separation so he would be allowed a licence to open a cannabis store.

The news of Fualaau’s filing recently spread, with TMZ first reporting that he asked to be separated from his wife earlier this month. There were no other details given.

People speculated that the two fell out of love or perhaps one of them, probably Fualaau, realised that he wanted out of their marriage while he is still young. However, the 33-year-old father of two said the reason for their separation is far more mundane.

All the rumours that you hear between us. It’s fine,” he told Radar Online. “Of course [we are still in love]. A piece of paper doesn’t break someone’s feelings!”

If not for lack of love, then why did he need to file for separation? According to Fualaau, who works as DJ and uses the name DJ Headline at work, it’s a practical move to protect his business. He wanted to get licensed as distributor for “Cigaweed” marijuana cigarettes. And he couldn’t do that if he is still married to a convict.

“When you want to get licensed, they do background checks on both parties,” he said. “If I decide to be a part of it, I have to be licensed and I have to be vetted and so does a spouse. She has a past. She has a history.”

E News reports that Letourneau’s attorney, however, filed a motion to dismiss her husband’s case. There was no reason cited.

Letourneau, 55, served more than seven years in prison for violating her parole stemming from two counts of second-degree child rape charges. She was arrested in 1997 after it emerged that she was having sexual relationship with her 12-year-old student, Fualaau.

She married Fualaau in 2005, months after she was released from prison. They raise two daughters together. Letourneau ( née Schmitz) had four children with ex-husband Steve Letourneau.

In case you missed it:

Fualaau filed for separation from his former teacher, Mary Kay Letourneau. Read: Controversial teacher-student couple Vili Fualaau and Mary Kay Letourneau separate