Are they? Aren’t they? Five years of togetherness and six children later, hollywood’s ‘IT’ couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are reportedly heading for splitsville. T2 turns the spotlight on some other high-profile splits...

 

 

Tom Cruise / Nicole Kidman

When one of Hollywood’s hottest couples announced that they were headed for a split 10 years of marriage and two kids later, the news was a shocker to most. Cruise and Kidman who had met on the sets of Days of Thunder in 1990 and married a few months later (he later admitted that his first glimpse of her was “sheer lust”), had a tough time keeping their marriage away from the prying eyes of the paparazzi. But they were a picture-perfect family till they separated in 2001, citing “the difficulties inherent in divergent careers”. Today, Cruise is married to actress Katie Holmes and Kidman has set up home with musician Keith Urban, and the two “continue to be friends”, sharing joint custody of their children.

Britney Spears / Kevin Federline

Her second marriage lasted longer than her first, but troubled pop icon Britney Spears and her back-up dancer-cum-beau Kevin Federline often hogged the headlines for the wrong reasons during their two-year marriage. Britney and Kevin said “I do” in September 2004, months after Britney annulled her 55-hour marriage to childhood sweetheart Jason Allen Alexander. Two sons and two years later, Britney announced that the marriage was over, but Kevin wasn’t letting go in a hurry. A messy court case and the settlement of a few million dollars followed before Britney got custody of the kids. Last heard, Kevin was desperately trying for a reconciliation while Britney hopped from lover to lover.

Hugh Grant / Liz Hurley

Model-actress Liz Hurley who was in a steady 13-year relationship with heartthrob Hugh Grant called it quits after the British actor was caught with his pants down, literally, in the company of a prostitute in his car. The very public split had the paparazzi going into a frenzy, but the Notting Hill star emerged from it, his popularity largely unscathed. Ten years on, the couple are on friendly terms and even vacation together — but under the watchful eyes of Hurley’s husband Arun Nayar. Hugh has been linked to the likes of Jemima Khan and fashion designer Catherine Fulmer.

Alec Baldwin / Kim Basinger

To them goes the thorny crown of the most contentious and ugly divorce in recent Hollywood history. Baldwin and Basinger met on set in 1991, married two years later, and separated in 2001. The actor accused his actress wife of “torture”, even writing the book A Promise To Ourselves on it. He recently claimed that he contemplated suicide in the months following the split. During the years of the bitter court case, Baldwin got into a lot of trouble with a voicemail message in which he referred to the couple’s 12-year-old daughter Ireland (who lives with Basinger) as a “rude little pig”. Today, Basinger has immersed herself in social causes. And Baldwin has put it all behind him. “I’d love to get married again. I have to find a really rich woman so I can stay home and read books all day,” he says. Any takers?

Madonna / Guy Ritchie

When Material Girl Madonna married British filmmaker Guy Ritchie — her second, his first — the union raised quite a few eyebrows, primarily because she was older to him by 10 years. The deeply-in-love couple won over cynics and were blissfully married for close to eight years, raising three children. In 2008, amid talk of public spats and ugly quarrels (she said he was “weak and unambitious”, he retaliated by calling her “old, fat, ugly and wrinkled”), Madonna and Guy divorced. She handed him a 50 million pound cash settlement to keep the children. Today, Madonna has toyboy Jesus Luz, 29 years her junior, for company. And Guy Ritchie has Sherlock Holmes. But rumours of a reconciliation between the ‘it’ singer and the ‘it’ filmmaker refuse to die down.

Preity Zinta / Ness Wadia

Cheering their team from the dugout or attending parties hand in hand, actress Preity Zinta and Bombay Dyeing scion Ness Wadia were considered an “ideal” couple. Most believed that the two, who started dating in 2005, were headed for marriage, but IPL-2 in South Africa last summer proved that this partnership had been broken. The queen of King’s XI Punjab confirmed that their relationship was strictly professional, she sat alone in the dugout, she dimpled only when her boys were on song and she hugged every sweaty team-mate in sight. The 39-year-old Ness was busy playing the ladies’ man to the blonde babes on his arms. Preity, they say, has moved on.

Salman Rushdie / Padma Lakshmi

They were the odd couple. When Midnight’s Children man Salman Rushdie, 62, married model-actress Padma Lakshmi, 23 years his junior, in 2004, many did not give Rushdie’s fourth marriage even a week. The bold and the beautiful proved them wrong, presenting a picture of blessed domesticity. Till it all went wrong in 2007. Today Padma Lakshmi is pregnant with her first child (she refuses to name the father) while Rushdie has moved on to a slew of women. He still maintains that divorce from Lakshmi was “very, very painful”.

Shahid Kapur / Kareena Kapoor

Jab they split, not many were surprised. Kareena and Shahid met and fell in love on the sets of Fida in 2004. The much-in-love couple caused ripples — not the least for a tongue-to-tongue session at a Mumbai restaurant captured on MMS — but only made waves when they made it clear it was all over, shortly before the release of their super-duper hit Jab We Met in 2007. Weeks later, Kareena made a public appearance with father of two Saif Ali Khan, announcing that they were a couple. Today, Saifeena is the hottest couple in Bollywood while Shahid does chance pe dance with Vidya to Priyanka to Anushka to…

Ranbir Kapoor / Deepika Padukone

Kareena’s cousin Ranbir and badminton ace Prakash Padukone’s daughter Deepika created quite a stir when they declared that they were a couple on the sets of Bachna Ae Haseeno in 2008. Public appearances, family dinners and holidays followed, amid rumours of Deepika’s “over possessiveness”, especially when Ranbir was seen in the company of a certain Katrina Kaif. In mid 2009, whispers of a split started doing the rounds, but Deepika and Ranbir remained tight-lipped. Today, it is official that the two are history.

Susan Sarandon / Tim Robbins

After 23 years of being together, actors Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins split in December ’09. Often considered the benchmark for successful relationships in easy-come-easy-go Hollywood, Sarandon and Robbins, both Oscar winners, have remained tight-lipped about the break-up, only revealing that they separated last summer.

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Sania Mirza / Sohrab Mirza

Now who would have thought breakpoint comes before love all? Tennis star Sania Mirza has called off her engagement to childhood friend Sohrab Mirza. The 23-year-old Hyderabadi who got engaged to Sohrab, 24, in a high-profile event last July has cited “incompatibility during courtship” as the reason for the split. Do we see Sania’s male admirers grinning from ear to ear?

 

SPLITS WE WANT

 

 

NICOLAS SARKOZY / CARLA BRUNI

He might as well start doing some work. She can go back to wearing high heels.

 

 

 

 

DAVID / VICTORIA BECKHAM

With his football fame on the wane, is it time for size zero to bid him bye? And that could be good for Becks!

 

 

 

 

Catherine Zeta-Jones / Michael Douglas

Surely, the still ravishing mother of two is just too good to be with the over-the-hill Douglas, 25 years her senior?

 

 

 

 

SALMAN KHAN / KATRINA KAIF

Their supposed love story is boring with a capital B.

 

 

 

Which celeb couples should never split? Tell t2@abpmail.com