Demi Moore is said to have instructed her lawyers to “punish” Ashton Kutcher “financially” in revenge for the betrayal that led her to seek a divorce.

Demi Moore‘s edict is in spite of a pre-nuptial contract with Ashton Kutcher – which she insisted on when they married in 2005.

At the time, Demi Moore, now 49, wanted to prevent him ever seeking a share of her $148 million pot of assets.

Back then, Ashton Kutcher, now 33, the son of a mid-western factory worker, was just beginning his acting career while Demi Moore had a fortune built up from roles in hit films including Indecent Proposal and Disclosure.

In addition Demi Moore had a $75 million divorce settlement from her second husband, Bruce Willis.

Now Demi Moore’s career is on the wane and Ashton Kutcher is the one who commands major fees.

Demi Moore is said to have instructed her lawyers to "punish" Ashton Kutcher "financially" in revenge for the betrayal that led her to seek a divorce

Ashton Kutcher earns $750,000 an episode playing an internet billionaire in the TV sitcom Two And A Half Men and as much as $6 million a year as a successful investor in new technology projects, including Skype.

“With a pre-nuptial agreement, Ashton should be sitting pretty,” a source close to Demi Moore’s entourage said.

“These agreements are designed to protect one’s earnings during the marriage as well as one’s pre-nuptial assets.

“But Demi is furious, raging in fact – you only have to look at every photo you see of her to see the toll Ashton’s cheating has taken on her.

“She wants to punish him financially because of the way he has broken her heart. She is talking about going after a share of what he has earned since their marriage on the grounds that she contributed to much of what he has achieved.

“She is going to give him a bitter fight and, whether or not she wins, it will be an expensive lesson for him.”

Demi Moore originally consulted a divorce lawyer in early October after Ashton Kutcher allegedly had unprotected sex on their sixth wedding anniversary with Sara Leal, following a drunken hot-tub party.

It was alleged to be the second occasion Ashton Kutcher had publicly humiliated her – Brittney Jones, 21, had bragged that he seduced her at a Los Angeles home he shares with Demi Moore.

Demi Moore’s frequent travels – she also has residences in New York and an Idaho mountain resort – “have made it easy for Ashton to go on living like a bachelor”, a source close to the couple said.

“But she has to travel for her work and she believes he just totally violated her trust.”

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher went to Kabbalah marriage counselling after he begged for a second chance. They also spent a weekend on a Caribbean atoll, Parrot Cay, where they were lent a villa by Bruce Willis, who remains one of his ex-wife’s closest friends and has helped bring up their three daughters.

“She was a wreck,” the source said.

“She believes strongly in marriage and she really didn’t want to spend her middle years alone. But in the end, she just couldn’t see any way of making things work. Bruce told her he is in her corner.”

A leading US family law expert, Raoul Felder, warned last night that Demi Moore faces an expensive battle.

“There are very few grounds for overturning a pre-nuptial agreement,” Raoul Felder said.

“The only people likely to win are the lawyers for the wife and the toyboy husband, who will collect huge legal fees.”