USHER SAY'S HE WAS SEPARATED FROM HIS WIFE 5 MONTHS BEFORE HIS 2ND SON WAS BORN! IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING!

Usher and his wife Tameka Foster Raymond separated five months before the birth of their second son, the "Confessions" singer revealed in his recent divorce petition.

The R&B star, whose full name is Usher Raymond IV, claims the split took place in July 2008, less than a year after he married his former stylist in a glitzy ceremony outside Atlanta - and before son Naviyd Ely Raymond's birth in December.

"The marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken," the petition filed by Usher in Atlanta on Friday reads. "There is no reasonable hope of reconciliation."

Tameka is contesting the divorce filing, saying through her attorney that she has been a "faithful wife and loving mother" during the marriage.

The couple has two sons: Naviyd and 1 ½-year-old Usher Raymond V.

Usher, 30, is seeking joint custody of the children with Tameka, 38.

The split comes four months after Tameka suffered cardiac arrest during a cosmetic surgery procedure in Brazil. Usher canceled a performance and rushed to his wife's side.