Michelle Obama shuts down Barack divorce rumours as she explains current situation

Michelle Obama has shut down rumours that she is planning to divorce her husband Barack.

Given his status as the first Black president of the US and hers as the first Black first lady, as well as the current political climate of the US, there are some who seem desperate for the Obamas' lives to be falling apart.

Verifiable facts be damned, to some people all that matters is building an imaginary world where they're winning while people they don't like are losing in every aspect of their life.

So when Barack attended the funeral of former US president Jimmy Carter and the second inauguration of Donald Trump by himself this was twisted into a portent that the couple were doomed, though according to The Independent it just meant that Michelle wasn't interested in going to Washington DC.

Now the former first lady has spoken out on the rumours and her life, rubbishing the rumours on the Work in Progress podcast.

A married couple not going everywhere together? Well that obviously means divorce... doesn't it? (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

"That's the thing that we as women struggle with - disappointing people. I mean, so much so that this year people couldn't even fathom that I was making a choice for myself," she said.

"That they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing.

"This couldn't be a grown woman just making a set of decisions herself, right? But that's what society does to us.

"We start actually going, what am I? What am I doing? What am I doing this for?

"And if it doesn't fit into the sort of stereotype of what people think we should do, then it gets labelled as something negative and horrible."

The couple have spoken in the past about the strain Barack being president took on their marriage.

God forbid a woman has hobbies (Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)

Speaking of the strength of his marriage, the former president said it 'sure helps to be out of the White House' and described being in 'a deep deficit with my wife' when it comes to spending time.

He said: "I’ve been trying to dig myself out of that hole by doing occasionally fun things."

In the past she's said that to get through the bad times you've 'got to know your person' and 'like' your partner.

She said: "I mean, you could be mad at him, but do you still look at him and go: ‘I’m not happy with you, but I respect you. I don’t agree with you, but you’re still a kind, smart person'.

"Feelings are going to change over time, and that that is when couples need to put work into their relationships."

Long story short, don't listen to rumours.