Chris Martin's 'conscious uncoupling' with Gwyneth Paltrow and reason for split

29 June 2024 , 19:30

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Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin were married over 10 years

Coldplay's Chris Martin and actress Gwyneth Paltrow stunned fans when they announced their split.

The couple were married for over 10 years before they famously decided they were "consciously uncoupling" in 2014. Chris and Gwyneth had met back in 2002 while backstage at a Coldplay show. They started dating and tied the knot a year later. The stars welcomed two children - Apple and Moses - together.

The Goop founder and Coldplay front man have remained close friends despite their separation and have insisted their relationship is better that way. Here is a look back at how the famous pair announced their split, what sparked their divorce and where they stand now...

Split announcement

Chris and Gwyneth were married just over 10 years (Getty Images for J/P Haitian Relief Organization)

The Paradise singer separated from the actress in 2014 after almost 10 years of marriage but they have remained close friends. Announcing the news, they said: "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."

Gwyneth Paltrow jokes about 'doing cocaine' and 'going home with random men'

'Weird' situation

Two years after their split, Chris told The Sunday Times Magazine: "It's always out there in the media, but I have a very wonderful separation-divorce. I've lived a lot since then. It's a divorce, but it's a weird one." Chris said that soon after splitting they decided to focus on their family instead of trying to place blame.

He said: "You can come it at very aggressively and blame and blame. Or you can put yourself in the garage, so to speak. Take yourself apart and clean off the bits. Reassemble." The singer decided to read literature to get him through tough times, including The Guest House by the Persian poet Rumi, and Man’s Search for Meaning, by psychiatrist and Auschwitz survivor Victor Frankl.

Gwyneth even described her ex as "like a brother". She said: I'm really close to him. We're a family. Even though we're not in a romantic relationship, we're a true family and we like to do things to reinforce that we're a family for the children [and] for each other. [The split] was a very intense time for our family. Emotions were very high and deep and all over the place. I just try to keep to myself as much as possible."

Signs of trouble

The former couple share two children - Apple and Moses (BACKGRID)

In a 2013 interview, Gwyneth admitted that marriage is hard work. She told Self: "You're not learning anything unless you're having the difficult conversations. Dealing with things directly changed my relationships. Sometimes when you get clear about who you are, others get less comfortable because they liked who you were. It's changed my marriage, too, but he's up for the challenge."

Reason behind split

In an essay published in British Vogue, the actress revealed the former couple spared no effort when it came to fighting to keep their family together. "We just didn't quite fit together. But man, did we love our children," she wrote. "Between the day that I knew and the day we finally relented to the truth, we tried everything. We did not want to fail. We didn't want to let anyone down. We desperately didn't want to hurt our children. We didn't want to lose our family."

She later shared the exact moment she knew their marriage was over. The former couple were celebrating her 38th birthday on a lavish cottage break in Tuscany, Italy, when it all started to unravel. Gwyneth revealed she often hid from the truth about her broken marriage at first, until she could no longer do so.

She said although they shared a love for similar things, they didn't quite fit together. Gwyneth explained: "I don't remember which day of the weekend it was or the time of day. But I knew – despite long walks and longer lie-ins, big glasses of Barolo and hands held – my marriage was over.

"What I do remember is that it felt almost involuntary, like the ring of a bell that has sounded and cannot be undone. The inadvertent release of a helium balloon into the sky. I tried to quell that knowing, to push it far down. I tried to convince myself it had been a fleeting thought, that marriage is complicated and ebbed and flowed. But I knew it. It was in my bones."

Moving on

Gwyneth posed with Chris' partner Dakota (gwynethpaltrow/Instagram)

The actress is now married to Brad Falchuk (Neil Rasmus/BFA.com/REX/Shutterstock)

Their divorce was finalised in April 2015. Chris began dating actress Dakota Johnson in 2017. The two actresses recently made headlines last year when Gwyneth posted a snap of them holding hands. In 2014, Gwyneth began dating producer Brad Falchuk after they met on the set of Glee in 2010. The couple went public with their relationship in April 2015 and announced their engagement in 2018 before marrying in the same year.

Mia O'Hare