Is Chelsea Clinton's husband on the verge of a breakdown?

London, Feb 24 (ANI): Chelsea Clinton's husband Marc Mezvinsky is on the verge of a breakdown, according to friends.

Since rumours of a split rocked their marriage earlier this month, the couple has made a huge show of togetherness.

But it seems their efforts have been in vain, as friends claim the former investment banker needs mental care.

"There's fear Marc is headed to a mental hospital," the Daily Mail quoted a source as telling the National Enquirer.

"In public, Chelsea is taking Marc everywhere in an effort to show everybody that they're happy together, but behind the scenes he's depressed," the source said.

A rift between the pair's two families appears to be at the heart of the problem.

The magazine reported that the Clintons have been encouraging Mezvinsky to cut ties with his father Ed, a former Iowa congressman who served time in prison for fraud.

"The things that have happened to Ed since this whole Clinton situation took place are unthinkable," Mezvinsky Jr's half-sister, Margot, told the publication.

"He's been treated in a disgusting way by everybody involved and he's very upset," she said.

A neighbour of the 74-year-old in Wellsville, New York State, said he was "destroyed" by his son's behaviour.

"He has lost weight and appears dishevelled," they told the magazine.

The reports explain Mezvinsky's unusual behaviour of late.

Eyebrows were raised after he quit his well-paid job at the end of last month to go snowboarding for three months without his wife.

The daughter of the former President Bill Clinton and current Secretary of State, Hillary, had planned to stay in New York while her husband spent three months in Jackson Hole ski resort in Wyoming.

But shortly after details of their temporary separation emerged, Mezvinsky was spotted by his wife's side in New York, her wedding ring clearly on display. spokesman for Ms Clinton denied that the couple's marriage was in trouble, and series of public appearances followed, including a gala event at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum last week. (ANI)