JOHNNY GILL - GILL: 'MURPHY'S MOTHER INFLUENCED SPLIT'

Singer JOHNNY GILL has spoken out about pal EDDIE MURPHY's split from TRACEY EDMONDS - insisting the star's mother warned him not to rush into the union. The couple married in the Pacific island of Bora Bora on 01 January (08) after a year-long romance but split just a fortnight later, before they could make the nuptials legal in the U.S. And the break-up has been dogged by rumours of bitter arguments between the pair - with some sources suggesting the relationship may have ended after a row over a pre-nuptial agreement. But Gill, who attended the lavish ceremony, is convinced Murphy ended the marriage after heeding advice from his mother Lillian. He says, "Eddie has a great level of respect for his mother and his family, just like anybody. And when Mummy finally decided to speak on it, she spoke on it after the ceremony - simply that she felt everything was moving too fast and it didn't feel right. She's not an actress and she was being honest with him."