Director Rita Gupta looks at some celebrity divorces and separations from 2022, and finds some interesting advice from those in the spotlight of media attention.

Toni Collette and Dave Galafassi

The “Muriel’s Wedding” actress and her musician husband announced the end to their 20-year marriage in a short post on Instagram:

“It is with grace and gratitude that we announce we are divorcing."

 

Kim Kardashian and Ye

Kardashian filed in February 2021 for divorce from Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. However, it took until the very end of November 2022 for a settlement to be agreed. According to court documents, Ye is to pay $200,000 per month in child support and have joint custody of their four children. According to Insider magazine the couple will

• “Split the costs of health care, security, and educational expenses, including private school tuition and fees and tutoring costs.
• Divide up their assets, including their properties, as laid down in their prenup agreement
• Waive spousal support.
  

Ye might need the money, as he claimed in a podcast that the IRS in America say he owes them $50million in tax.

Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen

After 13 years of marriage, the American NFL football star divorced his supermodel wife amid the usual flurry of statements on Instagram and in magazine interviews. Many wives of sporting stars might potentially agree with Gisele when she told Elle magazine that:

“I’ve done my part, which is (to) be there for (Tom). I focused on creating a cocoon and a loving environment for my children to grow up in and to be there supporting him and his dreams. … At this point in my life, I feel like I’ve done a good job on that. I have a huge list of things that I have to do, that I want to do.”

Announcing the split on Instagram, Gisele focused on their children:

“My priority has always been and will continue to be our children whom I love with all my heart. We will continue co-parenting to give them the love, care and attention they greatly deserve."

 

Here we go again… Tish Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus

In May 2022, Tish filed for divorce from the third time. According to Cosmopolitan:

”Tish cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the breakup, saying she and Billy have not “cohabited as man and wife for a continuous period of more than two years.”

So, will they actually divorce this time? It seems more likely, as Tish Cyrus is now dating US Prison Break star Dominic Purcell. Her husband Billy Ray Cyrus became engaged to Australian singer Firerose in November. Needless to say, for engagement to turn into marriage, there needs to be a finalised divorce first...

Moving on…

After his unsuccessful lawsuit against The Sun, Johnny Depp dated Joelle Rich, a member of his legal team. However, the couple split after just two months together. (We might add that this isn’t normally what happens with legal teams!)

The importance of friends

Superstar singer Adele gave candid insights into the “really traumatic” breakdown of her marriage to Simon Konecki. Talking to audiences at her Las Vegas live shows, Adele revealed that:

“A relationship falling apart, whether you're married or not, it's really difficult and it's really traumatic. Keep your friends close to you because they're better than any man, better than any woman. Your friends are for life."

And finally … tips for a long lasting marriage from another Strictly star

Actor and “Two Pints” star Will Mellor revealed the secret to his long partnership and marriage to Michelle McSween. Will’s wife and family became familiar faces in the “Strictly” audience, as Will progressed to the semi-finals of the dance competition.

On their fifteenth wedding anniversary, Will told The Irish Sun that the secret was to make time for each other and for the family too.

“We do date night every week. We find it hard at the moment though because I am on the dance floor on Strictly every Saturday, but usually, Saturday night is always date night.

Friday night is always family night and we’ll go out for dinner or play some board games with the kids. We try to keep that going especially now the kids are getting older because I really am trying my best to stay fun dad. We talk about our week and it’s so important for them not to have their technology with them at the table."

 

Divorce and separation involving children

If you have children and are concerned about separating or divorcing, contact us. During your fixed fee 1-hour consultation, you can discuss your situation and receive legal advice to help you move forward with knowledge and confidence.

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This year, LGFL are supporting local charities that help people cope with the impact of the cost of living crisis. Our chosen charities are either based in our home county of Berkshire or the bordering counties of Hampshire and Surrey.

Our chosen charities are:

Your Sanctuary

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Mankind Initiative

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The Camrose Centre

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All of us here at LGFL Ltd wish you all the best for the New Year period.

Just five weeks after making their separation public, former supermodel Jerry Hall and media mogul Rupert Murdoch have finalised their divorce. Ms Hall, 66, filed for divorce in California on 1 July, citing ‘irreconcilable differences' with her 91-year-old husband.

The divorce has proceeded at remarkable speed. The couple’s spokesperson released a statement this week saying that:

“Jerry Hall and Rupert Murdoch have finalized their divorce. They remain good friends and wish each other the best for the future.”

Earlier there had been a glitch when Ms Hall had requested the court to dismiss her petition, which stated that she was:

“Unaware of the full nature and extent of all (Murdoch’s) assets and debts, and will amend this petition when the information has been ascertained.”

However, despite this initial issue of non-disclosure of financial details, the couple reached an agreement, and the divorce went ahead.

Ms Hall filed for divorce in Los Angeles rather than in the UK where the couple married in 2016. Californian divorce law means that any property acquired during the marriage is automatically divided between them 50/50.

Also, had she filed for divorce in the UK, she would have had to wait considerably longer for her divorce to be finalised. Under no fault divorce legislation, a divorce takes 26 weeks (six months) minimum.

File for divorce in LA or London?

How assets are divided on divorce varies considerably depending on what country and which jurisdiction you file for your divorce in. Ms Hall chose to file her divorce in LA, where the 50/50 rule applies. However, many ultra high worth individuals choose to file for divorce in the English courts, as there is no fixed rule on how assets are divided. Often wives choose the UK as it can be deemed to be more favourable to wives specifically in terms of maintenance awards which of course can be capitalised.

Divorce for ex-pats and those working abroad

At LGFL, we have represented ex pats living or working abroad in divorce cases here in the UK courts, whether as petitioner or respondent. Our remote service ensures we can represent you and work to protect the best interests of you and your children.

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“Until two weeks ago he insisted there was no one else, then my phone pinged and I saw (he) had unblocked me on Instagram. I thought maybe there was a chance he wanted to talk or something. Then it was announced by him and his mistress that they were a couple.”

When actor Ioan Gruffudd walked out on his wife of 14 years in January 2021, Alice Evans claimed he gave no explanation for his actions. She also claimed that Gruffudd secretly filed for divorce, and she only found out about it via a media news story.

Letting everyone know via social media

Celebrities are turning to social media to announce major moments in their personal lives, including the end of relationships and divorce proceedings. Some choose to issue joint statements explaining how they are separating and respect each other. Those with kids often emphasis how they will be co-parenting their children. Most leave the more personal details of the breakup for the courtroom.

This is also true of the Gruffodd/Evans divorce, at least as far as he formal paperwork is concerned. The divorce papers filed in Los Angeles stated that the couple were collaborating on spousal support and were seeking joint custody of their two daughters.

What sets Ms Evans apart is that after Gruffodd left, she took to social media to disclose personal and detailed information to her fans via her own social media. As The Mirror newspaper commented, Ms Evans:

“Has refused to hold back and has detailed every part of their toxic split on social media.”

In turn, Gruffudd’s divorce petition cites “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split. However, his own social media announcement that he and his girlfriend were now a couple in turn prompted social media replies from work colleagues, congratulating them on being able to be open about their relationship that had previously been kept secret.

Published posts and the courts

The key word here is “publish”. When you post on social media, regardless of your privacy settings, you are in effect publishing your news and views as if it were in a newspaper. You are placing your private information on a third party publishing platform, and giving them permission to share that with (potentially) a global audience. Even if your privacy settings limit the post to just a group of friends, there is nothing stopping them sharing the information, if not the actual post, with other mutual connections. So if you publish detailed posts, information that should remain private can very soon become public knowledge.

Furthermore, anything you post publicly online could be accessed by a court, and/or presented by the opposite party as evidence in a divorce case. If it is private, the court cannot access it, but it may be adduced as evidence.

Whilst you may think that your posts or tweets are simply ‘setting the record straight’ on something your ex has posted, a court may not take that view unless you can substantiate the claim. Instead, save and document that evidence to discuss with your divorce lawyer, and use it to potentially support your case in court or at mediation.

The impact of your social media posts

It is also crucial to consider the impact publishing on social media has on your own family, and especially your children. It must have been very hurtful for the couple’s children not knowing the reality of the situation - and then seeing it first on an Instagram feed.

Alice Evans wrote on Twitter her concerns about the effect on their daughters aged 12 and 8:

“You know what they ARE upset about though? That their Dad walked out and abandoned them out of the blue. Without explanation.”

She fears that this may cloud their future viewpoints:

“I’m scared that my little girls will be disappointed by their Dad’s behaviour and model that in their future relations with the opposite sex."

However, there is also the potentially “disappointing” example Ms Evans has set her girls in posting extensively on various social media platforms about the split.

Different points of view

It's always important to remember that we never really know what goes on behind closed doors in relationships. Gruffodd's own restraint doesn't necessarily mean he hasn't plenty to say, just that he doesn't choose to say it. Neither should Evans' plentiful social media posting equate to fault on either part. The aim of resolution lawyers such as ourselves is to move away from the blame game, and deal with matters away from the courtroom as far as possible.

Joint custody and co-parenting

In an interview with The Guardian. Gruffodd admitted to not being an experienced full-time parent:

“I think I did it for a week and thought I was really cool. Alice …had been away for a week. I was showing off – ‘the kids are in bed’ – and she was ‘Yeah, you’ve done one week Ioan, try six months’.”

The logistics and practicalities of co-parenting is an issue that all parents will need to address, and an area where mediation and collaborative law can help agreements to be reached outside of court rooms.

Tempted to take to social media about your relationship breakdown?

Respectfully we ask, please don’t! Instead, send us an email to book your fixed-fee appointment with one of our Directors. Both Anne and Rita are highly experienced and UK-ranked divorce lawyers. Furthermore, unlike larger local law firms, our personal, boutique service ensures the Director you meet is the Director who will lead your case throughout.

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“Anne Leiper and Rita Gupta make a formidable team. They bring many years of experience to their cases. Both are superb at looking after their clients and guiding them through a difficult time in their lives. They consistently get excellent outcomes for their clients."

Legal 500 UK 2022

Divorce in 2020 has probably been more stressful for almost every couple that has separated. Family lawyer and LGFL Managing Director Rita Gupta takes a look at celebrity divorces, and how these high-profile couples share the same issues as anyone else going through divorce or separation.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

The Hollywood superstar couple share six children - Maddox Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Vivienne and Knox. All the children have the surname Jolie-Pitt.

According to a source quoted in “People” magazine, back in July, the couple’s family therapy appeared to have helped them co-parent more effectively.

"It&'s taken them a long time … to get to this point. The younger kids go back and forth between their houses, and Brad loves spending as much time with them as possible. He seems much happier.”

Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock’s blended family

Grammy and Emmy award-winning singer Clarkson and her estranged husband share four children, two from their marriage and two from his previous marriage. However, unlike her usual direct and open approach to talking about her private life, for Clarkson the divorce is much more a closed book.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Clarkson explained her reasons:

“I'm not going to be able to be truly open about this in certain aspects because there's kids involved. My children and his older children — there are a lot of little hearts involved in this and while people feel, ‘Oh my gosh, what a loss...' imagine how it is in the epicenter of the storm. It's a lot to process and deal with, just as a family.”

 

Rita says: We admire the way Kelly is putting all four children at the centre of her decision not to open up to the media about her divorce. A child-centred approach is very much our aim here at LGFL. It helps parents to look at the overall impact of their decision to divorce, and to some degree, clear the petty disagreements away so they can focus on the major decisions that need to be made.

Phil Collins and Orianne Cevey - back together until…

Rock singer and drummer Collins and his third wife Cevey divorced back in 2008 reaching a $46million settlement. They subsequently reconciled in 2016 and lived together in Miami with their two sons. Collins said at the time that:

“Our young sons Matthew and Nicholas are like a dog with two tails. I mean, they're just so happy. They've got their mum and dad back together, so it's a good place to be at the moment."

However, Cevey now faces a potential eviction lawsuit after she married Thomas Bates in Las Vegas in August, without informing Collins. A formal request by Collins for her to move out of the house she share(d) with Collins was refused by Cevey. The couple have two sons, Nicholas (19) and Matthew (15).

Rita says: If an English or Welsh court were involved to decide where their sons should live, it would only be able to rule on the child arrangements for the 15 year old son. The 19 year old would be judged to be able to decide for himself.

What makes this situation so potentially tricky is that both Collins AND Cevey could claim that the property they share, which is owned by Collins, is their main home, and therefore the family home of their children. Quite why Cevey refuses to move out given that she has remarried is unknown, but some sources suggest she is keen to renegotiate the original 2008 settlement. Either way, once again, we see children stuck in the middle of acrimonious and divorced parents, made more difficult by the fact that they share the same physical space.

Keeping focused on the children

We see these kind of headline stories reflected in cases we deal with here in our local area of Reading, east Berkshire, and north Hampshire. In every case, we always adopt a child-centric approach, to find a way for couples to separate without splitting the family. We also see cases where a clean split is important too, such as cases involving domestic violence again women or men, and where the children need to be protected.

Whatever situation you find yourself in when you decide to separate from a spouse, a civil partner or a cohabiting partner, as experienced family lawyers we can help. Call us to book your initial 1-hour, no-obligation consultation, and we’ll give you the first 30 minutes free.

Breaking up is never easy to do, but some of the celebs who spilt in 2019 are separating after decades of marriage. However, given that UK divorcing couples are married for an average of 12-and-a-half years (according to the ONS), some celeb marriages have out-lasted the average by a considerable margin. Director Rita Gupta looks back on a year of surprise splits for some long-established couples.

So long, farewell….

Money can’t buy happiness, or at least, sustain a marriage indefinitely. After 25 years together, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos divorced his wife and mother of their four children, Mackenzie Bezos. The settlement? An eye-watering $38billion, until you realise that he’s still worth an estimated $118bn.

To boldly go? 88 year old “Star Trek” actor William Shatner filed for divorce on December 10th, but listed their date of separation as of 1 February. This is Shatner’s fourth divorce.

“Hellboy” actor Ron Perlman filed for divorce from his wife of almost four decades in November 2019. The appropriately named Opal is a jewellery designer, and the couple share two children grown-up children; daughter Blake, 35, and son Brandon, 29.

American politician Sarah Palin is to divorce husband of 31 years, Todd. In his petition, he cited “Incompatibility of temperament between the parties such that they find it impossible to live together as husband and wife.” The couple eloped together in 1988 and have five children: Bristol, Trig, Track, Willow and Piper.

Everyone’s favourite Mr Darcy Colin Firth has split from his wife of 22 years, Livia Giuggiolo. The couple’s split follows a rather odd situation in 2018 when Livia ended an affair with Marco Branaccia. The couple subsequently made a complaint against Mr Branaccia for stalking Livia, a claim he denied.

Partners and parents

Actor Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk split up in early 2019, resulting in action to secure a joint custody arrangement to co-parent their daughter, Lea De Seine, aged 2.

Another couple needing to settle child arrangements were Joey Fatone and Kelly Baldwin, who filed for divorce in May 2019. Fatone was the deep voice in the band boyband NSYNC and co-starred in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding “.

Grammy-award winning singer Adele and Simon Konecki split but in a statement to The Associated Press, confirmed that they were both "committed to raising their son (Angelo, 6) together lovingly."

Former husband to Roseanne Barr, Tom Arnold split from his fourth wife Ashley Groussman after 10 years of marriage. The couple have two children aged 5 and 3, and Arnold has been quoted as saying that: “Because I’m a father, I genuinely have the best life I’ve ever had.”

Short but sweet?

Actor Nicolas Cage and make-up artists Erika Koike filed for a marriage license on March 23 2019. However, according to the Metro newspaper, just four days later, the actor applied for an annulment as he was ‘too drunk’ to understand he was marrying Erika. They were divorced just two months later. This was Cage’s fourth marriage, having been married to first wife Patricia Arquette for 6 years, second wife Lisa Marie Presley for 3 months, and third wife Alice Kim for 12 years.

And the most eligible divorcees are…

Society magazine Tatler has named the most 'eligible, worldly, unattached' and ' most glamorous gang in town', which includes:

• Sheherazade Goldsmith, ex-wife of Minister of State and MP Zak.
• Musician Mark Ronson
• Chelsea chairman Roman Abramovich
• Tessy Antony De Nassau, the ex-wife of Prince Louis of Luxembourg
• Frances Osborne, ex-wife of former Chancellor George Osborne and full-time author

Divorce without the drama

If you’re looking for a discreet divorce and fair financial settlement out of the spotlight, contact us. We have extensive experience in separation and divorce for high net worth individuals and business people and our non-London, countryside location ensures complete confidentiality and privacy.

Call us to meet one of our Directors and discuss your own situation.