After 10 years of marriage, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin are separating.
Gwyneth, 41, announced the news in a statement on her website Goop, titled ‘Conscious Uncoupling’. The post read:
It is with hearts full of sadness that we have decided to separate. We have been working hard for well over a year, some of it together, some of it separated, to see what might have been possible between us, and we have come to the conclusion that while we love each other very much we will remain separate. We are, however, and always will be a family, and in many ways we are closer than we have ever been. We are parents first and foremost, to two incredibly wonderful children and we ask for their and our space and privacy to be respected at this difficult time. We have always conducted our relationship privately, and we hope that as we consciously uncouple and coparent, we will be able to continue in the same manner.
Love,?
Gwyneth & Chris
The actress married Coldplay frontman Chris, 37, in December 2003. They have two children together, Apple, 9 and Moses, 7.
It was just last year that Gwyneth admitted she found marriage with Chris Martin hard, admitting they’d gone through ‘terrible times’. At one stage she described her husband as having a ‘mad scientist’ personality which can be difficult to live with.
She told Glamour magazine, “So I never say “Where are you? You should be home by now”. I never place demands on him because I think he’s a really talented man and he’s putting something good into the world.”
Through her struggles she said she recalled advice her dad gave her before he died when she asked how he and her mother, actress Blythe Danner, managed to stay together for 33 years and he said, “Well, we never wanted to get divorced at the same time”. And I think that’s what happens."
"When two people throw in the towel at the same time, then you break up, but if one person’s saying, “come on, we can do this”, you carry on."
One of the biggest struggles the couple faced was where to live. The family moved from London to LA in 2013, with Gwyneth saying she wanted to be closer to her family. However Chris reportedly struggled with the move, upset at being so far away from his band Coldplay.
Their shock announcement today crashed Gwyneth's popular site Goop. They released the joint statement along with an article about "Conscious Uncoupling" by Dr. Habib Sadeghi and Dr. Sherry Sami. The article stated:
The media likes to throw around the statistic that 50% of all marriages end in divorce. It turns out that’s accurate: Many people are concerned about the divorce rate and see it as an important problem that needs to be fixed. But what if divorce itself isn’t the problem? What if it’s just a symptom of something deeper that needs our attention? The high divorce rate might actually be a calling to learn a new way of being in relationships.
Naturally, divorce is much easier if both parties choose to have a conscious uncoupling. However, your experience and personal growth isn’t conditional on whether or not your spouse chooses to participate. You can still receive the lessons he or she has to give you, resist being baited into dramatic arguments, and stand firm in your internal, spiritual support system. By choosing to handle your uncoupling in a conscious way, regardless of what’s happening with your spouse, you’ll see that although it looks like everything is coming apart; it’s actually all coming back together.
Gwyneth appeared on Chelsea Lately last year to discuss marriage and Chelsea Handler explained how Gwyneth gave a mutual friend marriage advice, saying that no matter how bad the fight approach it 'with love' and the comedian then claims the actress suggested a blow job. The mortified actress didn't deny it but did exclaim, "What if my mother is watching this?"
Now that they are facing a complicated divorce, let's hope they manage to continue to channel the "conscious uncoupling" for the duration. They are reportedly worth a combined $147 million, own 5 properties, have two children enrolled in school in LA and also share famous celebrity friends.
Vanity Fair magazine has been threatening to publish a tell-all article about Gwyneth including rumours of an affair. Gwyneth and Chris denied the claims and the article was never published.
Gwyneth and Chris rarely made public appearances together however put on a united front recently in what is now their final public appearance at Sean Penn's charity dinner in January. View this and more pictures of their 11-year union.
