Arun Nayar with Liz Hurley. File picture

Mumbai, June 15: If holy matrimony is what they have in mind, there are signs that Liz Hurley and Arun Nayar may finally be in a position to plan it.

Valentina Pedroni, the estranged wife of Nayar, the half-German Mumbai-born businessman the former British model is dating, today made an appearance at a family court in the city that is hearing Nayar’s divorce petition.

There were earlier reports that Pedroni would not be ready to grant a divorce till Nayar offered her a substantial amount as alimony.

Pedroni, a 35-year-old Italian who told an Italian magazine a week ago that she had “lost it” when the news broke of her husband’s relationship with Hurley, arrived at the Bandra court today at 10.35 am, five minutes after the scheduled time of hearing.

Her presence at the hearing today seemed to suggest that she may be agreeable to a “settlement” now, clearing the way for Hurley and Nayar to marry. It has been reported that Hurley has been keen for some time to marry Nayar, but his marital status has been in the way.

But there was no official confirmation of the proceedings. Pedroni attended the hearing for an hour and then left the court without speaking to the crowd of reporters that had gathered. When her lawyer Mrinalini Deshmukh persuaded her to speak, all she said was “no comments”.

Deshmukh also refused to entertain any reporters, saying the matter was “sub judice”. She had previously argued that the family court did not have jurisdiction in the matter.

The court adjourned the hearing to another day, but even the date of the hearing was not disclosed.

There is no official confirmation of the alimony that Pedroni wants. There were reports she had refused Nayar’s previous offer of Rs 4.5 crore and wanted a higher sum that would compensate for her role in building his business.

Nayar had last week hinted at a much higher settlement.

Nayar, now settled in the UK, had married Pedroni in 1997. He filed for divorce in the family court last year.

His 22-page petition is reportedly a very harsh pronouncement on Pedroni. It described her as a nagging wife who made unfair financial demands on him and refused to bear him children. It also pleaded that Pedroni constantly tortured and harassed Nayar.