‘It was after a couple of vodkas in the desert’: Russell Crowe reveals reason behind £1m divorce auction

Russell Crowe has revealed the idea of a divorce auction came to him after a “couple of vodkas in the middle of the desert”.

The Gladiator actor is set to sell off personal items and movie memorabilia accumulated during his 14-year marriage to Australian actress Danielle Spencer.

Among the items up for sale as part of the auction, titled The Art of Divorce, are his jockstrap from Cinderella Man, a dinosaur skull gifted by actor Leonardo DiCaprio and the armour worn by his character in Gladiator.

Speaking about how he came up with the idea, he said: “I was flying through the centre of Australia, what they call the APY Lands, going to these different arts communities and I was going through that exact conversation. It [the divorce] was starting to feel heavy.

“We separated five and a half years ago so it’s kind of been in my life and sort of pervasive across it for such a long time.

“I was looking for a way to bounce that into something more positive so this is what I came up with. It was after a couple of vodkas in the middle of the desert.”

The 53-year-old added: “Getting to this point with the divorce, and no matter how amicable a split is, you’ve still got to unwind things at a very deep level.

“I’ve never been someone who deconstructs things, I’ve always been someone who builds things, so it was quite a big lesson in life to become someone in life who can deconstruct things.

“It’s taken me 12 months, choosing the articles and how they balance with each other. It’s been joyful. I’m kind of excited to see what happens.”

Taking to Twitter to speak about the sale, at the end of last year, he wrote: “You ever look around and think ... bloody hell I’ve got a lot of stuff... yeah , me too.

“April 7th next year I’ll be having an auction .Career stuff, stuff I’ve collected and stuff in general . Paintings, Aubrey’s violin, watches ... if you like stuff, save the date.”

The auction, which marks the end of his marriage and six-year separation, is set to launch April 7.