Celebrity divorces, while incredibly voyeuristic and interesting for us to watch on the outskirts, come with a lot of pain, upset and disturbance for the families involved. Not all celebrity divorces can be as amicable and straight forward as Bruce Willis and Demi Moore who are still on great terms with each other and worked out their divorce on the best terms for the sake of their children.
Divorces, whether in the real world or celeb stratosphere, can be incredibly tough on the couple and their families. More often than not, children suffer and it can leave a lasting impression.
Unfortunately, celeb marriages are at a higher risk of divorce for a number of factors mostly related to the incredibly difficult spotlight that the media, paparazzi and pressures of public life can put on relationships which are sprawled across our magazines and newspapers. The consistent invasion of privacy and judgement on their lives can be a negative factor on their relationships. Of course, there are other factors including financial security and narcissism.
Regardless of why divorce happens in the celeb world, and regardless of our fascination into understanding why a couple we had put our heart and soul into following is separating, we have to remember that there are often children at the heart of these relationship breakups, children who's lives are being turned upside down and probably plastered over every media outlet in the world. These children may be young, they may be teenagers, either way, they are watching the two focal people in their lives turn the tables and change their entire lives. These children suffer as any child does in an upsetting parental separation but often they are overlooked to sell a byline.
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15 Kate And Jon Gosselin
Jon Gosselin described his marriage to Kate as, 'Ten years of a business transaction," which is an incredibly sad way to look at a marriage and the resulting eight children who were brought into the family. What started as a loving relationship ended in a bitter feud with eight beautiful children wrapped up in the very public mess. With a set of twins and sextuplets, the Gosselin's lives were centre stage as the family starred in the reality TV series, Jon & Kate Plus 8. With a life being lived in front of the camera and with eight young children to care for, the marriage came crumbling down. Jon admitted that he always felt a level of "emptiness" in the relationship as very little time was left for the couple to work on their relationship.
What resulted was a fierce divorce which the children are bound to relive in future years when they are older and come across the embittered union which was splashed across newspapers, magazines and the internet. It is impossible for Jon and Kate's children not to be exposed to the arguments, frustrations and negative feelings when divorce comes about. Relationships become hardened and sadly some of the Gosselin children no longer see their father.
14 Gwen Stefani And Gavin Rossdale
When it was announced that Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale were divorcing, the world was relatively shocked after the couple appeared blissfully married for fourteen years. Sadly, Rossdale cheated with the children's nanny, Mindy Mann, of all people. As soon as Stefani uncovered Rossdale's infidelity, she fired the nanny and sought a divorce. The affair was said to have lasted three years making the infidelity all the worse for Stefani.
During their fourteen year marriage, Rossdale and Stefani had three beautiful children, Kingston, Zuma and Apollo. Stefani was devastated by the affair saying, "I did not think anything. I wasn't thinking. I was feeling and dying." She is said to have gone through torture during the split which he children were witness to. Divorce is an incredibly sad experience and can hit the children hard as they see first hand the hardship and hurt their parents go through. They also experience their own separation and negative feelings towards a change they never asked for within the family dynamic. No matter how hard the parents try to shield their child, there will always be hardship.
13 Melanie Brown And Stephen Belafonte
Melanie Brown has gone as far as to obtain a restraining order from husband Stephen Belafonte as their messy divorce gets grittier and grittier. Brown married Belafonte in 2007 after a quick five month whirlwind romance, in Las Vegas no less. The couple have a daughter together, Madison, who was born in 2011 who no doubt has ended up in the very centre of this difficult break up. The couple, who have confused the nation after publicly appearing devoted to each other on Instagram just a few short months ago, filed for divorce in March this year.
What has occurred since then, has been an incredibly messy and public split which has seen the couple make disparaging remarks about one and other regarding affairs, abuse and violence. Additional claims by Brown that Belafonte sexually exploited her, was physically violent and abusive only make this divorce more difficult and harrowing. However this divorce pans out, the resulting devastating affect on Madison is clear as it is near impossible to hide the hate, hurt and anger which is apparent throughout this relationship.
12 Prince Charles And Princess Diana
The famous quote, "there were three of us in this marriage," will always haunt the legacy of the relationship of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Charles and Diana began with a whirlwind romance, getting engaged after just twelve dates and marrying a quick five months later. Diana was thrown headfirst into the limelight of the royal family. Everyone wanted to know more about the beauty who bagged the prince. But their eleven year union was incredibly tumultuous, with the Queen and Prince Philip interceding and encouraging a separation on many occasion. What hampered the marriage were years of reported infidelities as neither Charles nor Diana were ever faithful to each other throughout their relationship.
As you know, Charles and Diana had two children, Prince William and Prince Harry. The two beloved princes were loved immeasurably by their parents and that has never been in question, however as rumours and facts about their parents extra marital affairs came to light and the growing distance and distress between their parents surfaced, William and Harry, were in the middle of the doom and gloom of a failing marriage. The strength of character which we see today in both of Charles and Diana's boys is a testament to their strong upbringing but it is undeniable that the difficulties involved in a royal marriage breakup most certainly haunt them, especially with the untimely death of their mother.
11 Kelly Rutherford And Daniel Girsch
Our hearts break for Kelly Rutherford, who has suffered years of courts, in an attempt to have a life and a relationship with her two children. Rutherford married entrepreneur Daniel Giersch in August 2006. The couple had a child named Hermes before the end of that year and it was when Rutherford was pregnant with the couples second child, Helena, in late 2008 that she filed for divorce from Giersch citing irreconcilable differences. What has resulted has been one of the longest, most complicated and heart-breaking custody battles ever to be seen in celebrity circles.
Hermes and Helena are at the very centre of a battle between their parents for custody of them. Their lives have literally been played out in the courts as they are told where to go and who to live with. The battle has been ongoing for an incredible nine years with no definitive end in site as the courts struggle with jurisdiction issues and Rutherford suffers bankruptcy. How these two children can come out of this relationship and custody battle in a positive light is impossible to imagine as we can visibly see the hardship all of this has had on the two children.
10 Pamela Anderson And Tommy Lee
The problem with having a high profile life in the media is that there is often much more interest in your life when you fall. When Pamela Anderson married Tommy Lee, of Motley Crue fame, we were enthralled by this odd pairing. But no more so than when Anderson called it quits on their relationship and made incredible allegations against Lee in court appearances. Anderson and Lee have two sons together and it was the accusations that Lee was physically violent and abusive to their sons which stunned the media world.
If these allegations are true then clearly the children are better away from their father. However the bitter custody battle which ensues is a hardship no child should have to bear, especially when revelations and accusations are being brought through the courts and subsequently thrown throughout the media. Custody battles are one of the most difficult times a couple has to go through, but the children are not oblivious to everything that is going on and as they get older and understand more, the effect of the split, divorce and custody battle can do irreversible damage on the children.
9 Britney Spears And Kevin Federline
When Britney Spears and Kevin Federline split, the world was stunned. She had only given birth to the couples second child when she filed for divorce, dissolving the couples short marriage. What resulted after the couples divorce was a very public breakdown of Spears which her children were witness too. Jayden James and Sean Preston, although very young at the time, saw their mother go from a strong, independent role model to a struggling, out of control person in need of help.
Spears' breakdown as a result of her marriage dissolution and belief that she had made mistakes in her life, saw her father take over that life and strictly control every aspect of her daily life. Their children saw their mother in a way they should never have seen her and were the centre of a custody battle which ended in favour of Federline as Spears lost control. Her unsettling and bizarre behaviour could very well have traumatized the couple's children if it were not for Spears finally getting back on track again.
8 Alec Baldwin And Kim Basinger
Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger met on the set of the film The Marrying Man in 1990 and married three years later. It was in 2001 that Basinger filed for divorce from Baldwin and a custody battle for the couples daughter, Ireland, was pursued. While the couple are now on good terms, Basinger said in an interview with The Edit that, "Divorce is hard on a kid, no matter how you cut it. And ours was very public and nasty."
Baldwin, as part of the custody battle, was to attend anger management therapy and parenting school which he complied with. However, over the years Baldwin has been seen to slip in arrangements especially with a very public apology he made to his daughter regarding calling her a "rude, thoughtless little pig," for not answering his call in 2007. The custody battle was long, tedious and the family suffered many hardships because of it. Ireland has since made fun of the phone incident and has said that she has a great relationship with her Dad.
7 Whitney Houston And Bobby Brown
Whitney Houston filed for divorce from Bobby Brown in 2006 after fourteen years of marriage. Of course, Houston and Brown were known for their volatile relationship and the news of the separation did not necessarily come as a shock. In the divorce papers, Houston requested sole custody of the couples daughter Bobbi Kristina.
Brown apparently suffered badly over the course of the divorce proceedings which resulted in him attending rehab and having multiple run ins with the law. The couple fought consistently throughout the proceedings which could not have been hidden from their daughter who was witness to the very difficult and upsetting separation. There were allegations of drug abuse, cheating and violence on both sides of the table which made the divorce proceedings more harrowing for the family and for Bobbi Kristina who was tied in the middle between her parents. While the marriage itself was harrowing and volatile, the divorce and custody battle created just as much hardship for the couples daughter.
6 Halle Berry And Gabriel Aubrey
Although Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubrey were never married, but when they parted ways in 2010 a bitter custody battle for the couples daughter, Nayla, ensued and ended up being publicly and harrowingly brought through the courts. Originally the couple appeared to be on good terms and co-parented their daughter. However, it was in 2011 when Berry wanted to move their daughter to 0France to be with her new husband, Olivier Martinez, that Aubrey understandably reopened the custody agreement.
Sadly, the custody battle could not reach an agreement and a judge blocked Berry from taking Nayla to France. In fact, Martinez and Aubrey have had physical alternations over the battle and ended up in hospital with injuries. Over the years Berry had to pay $16k a month to Aubrey for the upbringing of their daughter and pay her tuition fees. Aubrey subsequently gave up work and lived off the finance from Berry which returned the couple to the courts with Berry stating, "it was with regret that I concluded that I had to seek the court's intervention on these issues, but until Gabriel recognizes the meaning of joint legal custody and how it is implemented, it appears that the court will be my only resort to safeguard Nahla's best interests." Nahla's best interests of course are questioned as her parents fight over what is best for her.
5 Charlie Sheen And Denise Richards
Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards met on the set of the film Good Avice in 2000 and began dating almost a year later in 2001. After a whirlwind relationship, they became engaged that December and married six months later. In 2004, the couples first daughter was born, Sam, and in 2005 their second daughter arrived, Lola Rose. Sadly, before Lola was even born, Richards had filed for divorce citing alcohol and drug abuse along with serious threats of violence. The couples divorce was granted late 2006 and what followed was an intense custody battle over the couples two children.
In fact, Denise Richards, who also later adopted a daughter, has become so embroiled in the lives of Charlie Sheen and all of his children, and not just from their marriage. Richards has, in the past, cared for his twins with ex-wife Brooke Mueller. Richards is a very strong mother and understands the devastating effect the break up of marriages can have on children. She has witnessed first hand the hardships Sheen and Mueller have gone through with addiction and abuse and is doing as much as she possibly can to reverse any negative effects of these relationships on her children and on Mueller and Sheen's twins. There are not a lot of women like her out there. She deserves a lot of praise and respect for her actions in attempting to protect the children from the hardships and negative influence of divorce and separation.
4 Michael Jackson And Debbie Rowe
Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe married in quite unusual circumstances in 1996. In what may have been a marriage of convenience, Rowe bore two children for Jackson whether through IVF or by a donor we still do not know, however we do know that the relationship Rowe and Jackson had was bizarre and odd. After getting married, the couple never lived as husband and wife and some speculate as to whether the marriage was ever consummated. Soon after they were married, Prince Michael was born and also as quick, Paris Katherine was born just over a year later.
Due to complications in pregnancy, Rowe was unable to have any more children and Jackson simply divorced her. Terribly, Rowe ws segregated from her children and despite her claims, it appears that she had very little contact with her children. Court papers, which gave her visitation rights every 45 days, were overturned by Rowe herself later in court which terminated her parental rights to the children completely. The unconventional, confusing and certainly interesting relationship, divorce and settlement of this couple has probably had as much affect on the couples children as the bizarre and unusual life the children had on the Never land Ranch which is by no means a normal life. However the saddening thing about this relationship is the lack of contact the children had with their mother. There is nothing like a mother's love, and sadly these children were obscured from it, by their own mother no less.
3 Mel Gibson And Oksana Grigorieva
Once again Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva were never married but had a daughter together. Sadly the relationship was not to survive and Grigorieva has been caught up in the courts over a custody battle for the couples daughter. The hardship that comes with any split when children are involved is only hardened in this case by the allegations of violence and abuse which emerged in court papers against Gibson.
Grigorieva even filed for a restraining order against Gibson to protect herself and her daughter, a decision which was overturned the following day but also resulted in Gibson filing his own restraining order. The confusing and difficult battle in court has led to many assumptions being made about Gibson, many of which have come out as being false and misguided assumptions. But they have never the less damaged his reputation. It would appear that Grigorieva was attempting to get as much as possible out of a settlement with Gibson but pushed the boat too far, falling short of what she was hoping to get through the courts. In fact, she would later file for bankruptcy. It is sad to think that a young child is caught up in all of this negativity which is sure to have an impact on her life.
2 Tiger Woods And Elin Nordegren
The marriage dissolution of Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren was probably one of the most prolific and highly followed divorce cases in all of celeb land. The intense infidelity of Woods resulted in Nordegren filing for divorce which was finalised in 2010. In what is one of the largest payouts for divorce in our history, Nordegren walked away with millions and custody of the couples two children. However, it was through the tabloids that the devastating truth behind Woods' infidelity came to light.
What Woods and Nordegrens' children must now bear in light of their parents divorce is years of speculation and rehashing of a story which we were all gripped with seven years ago. There will always be a new story, a new spin, and a retelling or their relationship and how it was doomed from the beginning during their fathers sex addiction. The saddening reality is that while this divorce is settled, while the parents are happily co-parenting their children together, the media will not let this wanderlust of a story go and so for years to come these children will relive the saddest and hardest time in the lives of their parents and their family.
1 Meg Ryan And Denis Quaid
One of the biggest problems with celebrity divorce is the fact that details and allegations are often brought back up in the media years after agreements and resolutions have been put in place. When one party had moved on, the other appears to angrily step back into the murky waters. Meg Ryan and Denis Quaid did not have the most amicable or easy divorces but they did end up with joint custody of their son, Jack. However, as is often the case, interviews push the boundaries and old wounds open up.
Ryan reportedly reopened these wounds in 2008 when she claimed that Quaid had cheated on her throughout their marriage. In what is inappropriate and unnecesary content for the media to pull from once again, Quaid angrily hit back in defence of the couples son who did not to relive the pain of the divorce. Quaid said, "I find it regrettable that our son, Jack, has to be reminded in a public way of the turmoil and pain that every child feels in a divorce. I myself, moved on years ago and am fortunate to have a happy, beautiful family." Divorce is not easy for anyone and it comes with upsetting years, frustrations and angry parties. The pain can take a long time to disappear for anyone and the children tied up in the divorce are not immune to that pain.