The world of celebrity coupling has always been a precarious place, and while there have been several iconic celebrity couples that have stood the test of time, there is a number that burned hot and flamed out of the popular consciousness. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t take a walk down memory lane every now and then. Below we have rounded up all the couples who broke up after being together for years.
Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin
Gwyneth and Chris met in 2002, a few weeks after her father’s death. In 2014, Gwyneth announced that she and Chris were “consciously uncoupling,” and their divorce was finalized in 2016. They have two children together. Gwyneth is married to Glee’s Brad Falchuk, and Chris is currently dating Dakota Johnson.
Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus
The Cyruses, who share five kids, including Miley and Noah Cyrus, wed in 1993 while Tish was pregnant with their second biological child, Braison. The estranged couple filed for divorce in 2010 and 2013, but this time appears to be different. In 2020, Billy Ray and Tish legally separated, and in 2022, Tish filed for divorce. According to court documents, the exes have been separated for two years.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West
After a whirlwind romance in 2012 that ended with the announcement of Kim’s pregnancy with their first child North West that December, Kim, and Kanye were engaged in October 2013 and married in the spring of 2014. Seven years later, citing considerable stress to their relationship over the past few years, news of the couple’s split surfaced at the start of 2021. In February, Kim Kardashian officially filed for divorce.
Kris Jenner and Caitlyn Jenner
The Jenners’ relationship was shown on “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” from the first episode, though by that point, they’d already been married for 16 years and shared two daughters, Kendall and Kylie.
But viewers watched their relationship slowly deteriorate on the show, and the two reality stars announced their separation in 2013, and Kris filed for divorce in 2014. The split was legalized by 2015. After the divorce, the former Olympic athlete announced that she was a trans woman and started going by Caitlyn.
Bill and Melinda Gates
After nearly three decades of marriage and three children, the world-famous philanthropists and tech scions announced their separation. The couple revealed their decision to divorce on Twitter through a joint statement. The message noted that the pair will continue to jointly run their multi-billion dollar philanthropic organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill Gates, who co-founded Microsoft, continues to be one of the richest people in the world, having amassed an estimated $124 billion net worth.
Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger
These two, for a time, were political and Hollywood royalty, as Schwarzenegger was a huge movie star and the governor of California, while Shriver was his first lady and a member of the Kennedy dynasty.
But that came crashing down in 2011 when news of the “Terminator” star’s extramarital affair with their housekeeper Patricia Baena and their child together, Joseph, was made public. Ten years after Shriver filed for divorce, their split was made official in 2021. In total, they had been married for 35 years.