When gold digging goes horribly wrong:

According to the current issue of the National Enquirer, Eddie Murphy’s ex-wife, Nicole Murphy, has already blown through her $15 million divorce settlement, and is now broke.

Unfortunately, Nicole neglected to read Kim Porter’s Gold Digger’s Manual from front to back. Had she read the manual she would know to stack her chips carefully, and to never give her heart to a man like Michael Strahan, who has less money than she does.

The former Nicole Mitchell met Murphy in 1988. Their 12-year marriage ended in a bitter divorce in 2006. They have 5 children together.

Eddie Murphy’s ex wife Nicole has blown her massive $15 million divorce settlement in just four years – and now she’s millions of dollars in debt.

What’s more, the IRS has slapped her with five tax liens totally $846,630, and she has put her opulent mansion up for sale.

When Nicole divorced Eddie in 2006 after 13 years of marriage, she chose to take a one-time payout from the comedian of $15 million, instead of monthly alimony. But in a shockingly short span of time, she’s managed to lose all of it.

“Nicole made some bad investments with the fortune she got from Eddie, and now she is in serious financial straits,” said a friend of the 42-year-old stunner.

Court records show that the IRS slapped Nicole with two liens for back taxes in November totaling $214,688.

That huge bill was on top of outstanding judgments against her for nearly $600,000 by a legal firm and another $60,000 demand for payment by a landscaping company. She also owes $5 million on her Los Angeles-area home.

“Nicole is overwhelmed by the mountain of debt she has piled up,” added the source. Nicole, who has five children with Eddie, invested in an Internet jewelry business, but the venture quickly failed and Nicole lost most of her money.”