Ruth Madoff Divorce? Bernie Madoff's Wife Cuts Ties: Report

Ruth Madoff, who stood by her disgraced husband Bernie despite his $65 billion Ponzi scheme and 150-year prison sentence, is cutting ties to him now in an attempt to reconcile with her estranged family, according to a new report.

Madoff biographer Diana Henriques told London's The Express that Ruth hasn't visited Bernie--her husband of 52 years--since their eldest son Mark's suicide in December 2010. After Mark's death, his grieving widow prohibited Ruth from attending his memorial service in Connecticut. Ruth remains estranged from her other son, Andrew, as well.

Ruth infuriated her family when she stood by Bernie after he was beaten in prison in 2009. She had initially aligned with her sons, who gave her an ultimatum when the Ponzi scheme was exposed in 2008: him or us.

"Ruth has not seen Bernie since Mark's suicide, and I think the remnants of the family will now pull together," Henriques told The Express. "Ruth visiting him in prison was a major impediment to her being reconciled with them.”

In a CBS "Early Show" interview Monday morning, Henriques--the first reporter to interview Madoff in prison and the author of "Bernard Madoff, The Wizard of Lies"--revealed that Bernie wants Ruth to move on.

"Bernie wants Ruth to do whatever she must to rebuild her life, even at the expense of their obviously limited time together. He cares very much about her, and I think wants her to have the comfort of her family in the years to come," she told Chris Wragge.

But is reconciling with her son and grandchildren possible?

"We're going to see," Henriques said. "I'm encouraged by the sources that I hear that there are good signs of reconciliation."

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