Divorce is a sad affair, and 2017 wasn’t the best year for celeb relationships. We’ve had more than a few major Hollywood couples call it quits– couples we thought were destined for the long haul.
The celeb divorce is a highly publicized moment in the lives of many a star. We’ve seen the highs and lows of Paul McCartney’s explosive divorce to Heather Mills, which saw her get £24.3 million in assets.
We’ve seen the “oh so sad” separation of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston (aka Rachel Green) back in 2001, which came as a huge disappointment as many believed that the golden couple were the best celeb love-unit on the planet.
Even Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman had their fair share of drama back in 2001 when they decided to split after ten whole years together. Five years after his divorce from the red-headed actress, Cruise married once again after falling for Katie Holmes and deciding that the second time’s a charm, but lamentably, this marriage also failed; despite having a child together, the pair supposedly didn’t see eye to eye when it came to his Scientologist beliefs and divorced six years later.
Proportionally, there are just as many lasting relationships in the celeb realm as there are in the real world, well, at least we think there is. For this reason, we bring you the good with the bad with the 8 Celebrity Couples Who Are Getting Divorced (And 7 Who Are Surprisingly Still Together).
Separated: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt went through a tumultuous break-up when they chose to separate after a twelve-year relationship and a two-year marriage.
Controversially, the pair fell in love on the set of Mr and Mrs Smith, despite Pitt still being married to Jennifer Aniston at the time.
During their years together, they’ve given birth to three children and adopted two others. Additionally, Pitt adopted their eldest child, Maddox, who was adopted by Jolie prior to them becoming an item.
Both parties have given the public some clues as to why they made the drastic decision to part ways.
Pitt claimed that there’d been a strain on their relationship due to his poor drinking habits while Jolie stated that it was her fault for persuading him to star in her own movie By the Sea, which was supposed to bring them together but instead did the opposite.
Still Married: Freddie Prince Jr. and Sarah Michelle Geller
If you were about in the 1990s, then you will definitely know about this rather adorable celebrity couple.
The pair initially hit it off while filming the hit teen horror flick, I Know What You Did Last Summer, in 1997. Five years later they tied the knot and the rest is history.
Interestingly, they were not cast as a couple in the slasher flick; the protagonist Jennifer Love Hewitt played Freddie Prince Jr’s love interest.
However, they were both teen movie icons at the time so it’s no wonder the two hit it off straight away.
It’s a teeny bit shocking to think that after all these years they are still a power couple, considering they had only just turned twenty at the time of filming and were at the very initial stages of their careers.
Separated: Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux
It’s quite possible that most of the negativity received by Aniston during her two widespread divorces - from both her first husband, Brad Pitt, and then her second husband, Justin Theroux – mostly derived from the tabloids.
It seems like the media can’t get enough of Aniston and her very intriguing love life.
Aniston and Theroux announced their amicable split early this year after four years of being in a relationship and two years of marriage.
Rumour has it that their opposing lifestyles and hectic schedules got in the way, although many would have you believe that destiny broke them up on purpose so that Aniston and Pitt could make amends and turn the clocks back to the early 2000s.
As usual, fabricated stories about her dating life continue to plague Aniston. Some things never change.
Still Married: Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Tatum
Like our pals, Freddie Prince Junior and Sarah Michelle Geller, this cute couple also set their sights on each other on the set of a wonderfully cringe-worthy teen film: Step Up.
It was this very movie that would make Tatum a major celeb heart throb for years to come and it even paved the way for roles in more serious films, such as Foxcatcher and Logan Lucky.
Jenna recently revealed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that she had given the Magic Mike actor a serious talking to before they eventually committed to a serious relationship.
The talk involved her wanting something exclusive or nothing at all and thankfully, Channing was happy to offer the former. They have been in a loving relationship ever since.
Separated: Rebecca Gayheart and Eric Dane
Eric Dane, otherwise known as “McSteamy” or Dr Mark Sloane, has had a well-established TV career since first appearing on ABC’s popular medical drama series, Grey’s Anatomy, in 2006.
His ex-partner, Rebecca Gayheart, has been a Hollywood star for even longer. In the late 90s, she was famed for her teen-girl roles in films like Urban Legends and Jawbreaker.
Her career took a slight hit, however, when she fatally hit a young boy whilst driving.
Similarly, Dane has experienced his own troubles, after becoming addicted to prescription drugs (which was triggered by a back injury) and struggling with depression.
After 14 years of marriage, the couple decided to call it quits this year, but are seeking joint custody of their two children.
Dane told People that “after 14 years together we have decided that ending our marriage is the best decision for our family.”
Still Married: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith
It’s not really all that surprising that this couple have stayed together for all these years, but needless to say, a lasting happy marriage is not exactly a common thing in the celeb universe, or outside of it for that matter.
Jada Pinkett met her husband met in 1995 when she auditioned for the role of his girlfriend in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and despite not getting the part, the pair got married just two years after.
Roughly twenty years and two famous children later, the couple are still going strong. What many people don’t know is that Will Smith had been married prior to coupling up with his current wife.
This marriage gave him his first son, Trey Smith, but only lasted three years. Fortunately, his second marriage is in no danger of coming to a head any time soon.
Separated: Chris Pratt and Anna Faris
It was the saddest celeb break-up story of 2017. Undoubtedly, these two were one of the cutest couple to ever walk the red carpet. The two met on the set of the not so successful comedy flick Take Me Home Tonight and promptly married a couple of years later.
It can be said that one of the key factors behind their partnership was their shared sense of humour.
While Chris Pratt was cast in the much loved comedy series Parks and Recreation, Faris continued to work in comedy flicks, as she had been doing since her breakout role as Cindy Campbell in Scary Movie.
Regretfully, the couple opted for a divorce in 2017 citing irreconcilable differences.
However, it’s been claimed that Faris struggled to cope with the many reports regarding a rumoured romance between Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence while shooting their sci-fi flick, Passengers.
Still Married: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson
It feels like Tom Hanks has been in Hollywood forever. Ok, well maybe he has. The guy was a rom-com legend during the ’90s but also had a long list of award winning roles under his belt by the time he hit forty.
Whether you loved him in Sleepless in Seattle, Forest Gump or ThePost, there’s no limit to what this man can do.
But due to him being a rather private person, Tom and his actress wife Rita Wilson like to keep a low profile.
The couple met in 1981 while shooting the ABC show Bosom Buddies together.
By then, Tom had already seen her on The Brady Bunch and later admitted to thinking she was cute on the show. Nevertheless, they didn’t start dating until 1985.
Separated: Elle Macpherson and Jeffrey Soffer
During the ’80s and early ’90s, Elle Macpherson was one of the most in demand supermodels to hit the catwalk.
She also dabbled in acting with small roles in Jane Eyre and A Girl Thing. Macpherson even had a short stint on the hit show, Friends, in which she played Joey’s roomie/girlfriend.
Nowadays, it seems as though Macpherson has given up on acting for good as she rarely makes on-screen appearances.
The model met her ex Jeffrey Soffer, a Miami property developer, in 2009 and the two wedded in 2013 prompting the model to move to Miami with her two sons.
But, alas, it was not meant to be. Last year, news broke that they were getting a divorce after living separate lives for months.
Still Married: Victoria Beckham and David Beckham
Victoria Beckham has certainly had an eventful career to say the least. She initially got famous for being Posh Spice and a member of one of the most successful girl bands on the planet (ever), Spice Girls.
After hooking up with and wedding the superstar football player, David Beckham, she gave up performing for good (except for the odd tour that is) and became a highly accomplished fashion designer.
The woman has talent when it comes to designing, there’s no denying it.
To this day, the British duo are still enjoying a happy marriage under the spotlight. However, as with most spouses, they’ve had their ups and downs.
The footballer was famously accused of having sex with another woman whilst married to Victoria. Regardless of whether this is true, the two have clearly worked through it one way or another.
Separated: Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor
In May last year, Stiller fans were surprised to hear that he would be splitting from his wife of eighteen years, Christine Taylor.
As with Chris Pratt and Anna Faris, this pair also bonded through humour having first met in 1999 on the set of Heat Vision and Jack, a sci-fi/comedy pilot that Stiller was directing.
They clearly loved working together because they also co-starred in a bunch of other comedies (Zoolander, Dodgeball and Tropic Thunder).
Sadly, in 2017, the couple announced their separation in a joint statement but said that they’d remain close friends.
We’re not certain why they decided to part ways, but the couple have definitely gone through a lot together, including Stiller’s battle with prostate cancer 2014, so there’s no doubt they’ll continue to be amicable.
Still Married: Jay Z and Beyoncé
Somehow this couple has made it through the hordes of dramas that have followed them like a bad smell. It’s safe to say that these two are what’s known as a “power couple.”
They have openly spoken of their marital issues through their music in a way that confronts them head on, rather than avoids them, and have shown the world that marriage can and should be explored with honesty and directness.
The pair met way back in 1999, when Beyoncé was eighteen years old (Jay-Z is approximately twelve years her senior), but didn’t start dating until a year and a half later. The musicians prudently had a long-term relationship before getting married in 2008.
Things got rocky when they were plagued with rumours that Jay-Z had been unfaithful, rumours that turned out to be true, but they battled through it and today they seem as solid as ever.
Separated: Alicia Silverstone and Christopher Jarecki
Many of us 90s folk will be sad to hear that Alicia Silverstone is splitting from her husband, Christopher Jarecki.
She was particularly amazing as the spoilt yet endearing Cher in Clueless and the whiny rich high-school girl (Emily) in Excess Baggage.
Her husband, on the other hand, is a musician and mostly famous for being in the punk band, S. T. U. N. (and Alicia Silverstone’s husband, of course).
But after a lengthy thirteen-year marriage and an even lengthier twenty-year relationship, the couple have decided to get a divorce.
They mostly kept their love life under wraps when it came to the tabloids so it’s unclear as to why they made the decision to call it quits.
However, a representative for the pair did state that they would “remain very close friends.”
Still Married: Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick
Who wouldn’t want to see Sarah Jessica Parker live happily ever after? As Carrie in Sex and the City she experienced some of the worst heartbreak ever to occur on TV.
Most of us SATC fans were prone to shedding the odd tear now and again when Carrie got her heart stomped on by Mr Big for the hundredth time.
Her husband Matthew Broderick is best known for his ’80s flicks, especially the one in which he plays a smug teen boy who has a thing for stealing cars. If you haven’t seen Ferris Buellers Day Off then you won’t have a clue what we’re talking about.
The couple got hitched in 1997 and are still very much in love.
Of course, nothing is ever perfect. In 2008, cheating allegations did arise concerning Broderick and another woman which would have put their marriage in a bit of a pickle.
Separated: Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck
This ex-couple originally met whilst co-starring in the war film Pearl Harbor. Nonetheless, this was not the beginning of their romance as Ben Affleck subsequently got engaged to Jennifer Lopez after meeting the singer on the set of Gigli (also known as one of the worst flicks ever made).
Oddly, Ben Affleck later admitted to falling in love with Jennifer Garner after joining forces with her in the superhero film, Daredevil– it was filmed the same year he proposed to Lopez.
Less than two years later, Lopez and Affleck broke up and shortly after, the Argo actor and Garner made their first public appearance together.
However, in this case a good thing did come to an end. In 2015, they announced their separation after rumours had already been pervading the tabloids regarding an affair between Affleck and their nanny.
Can you think of any other famous celebrity couples who are getting a divorce or are still together? Sound off in the comments!
