When Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness called it quits on their 27-year marriage in October 2023, it shocked the entertainment world and shook our belief in true love. How can a couple who seemed so solid, with decades under their belt together, suddenly get divorced?
Enter the phenomenon of the ‘grey divorce’, a growing trend where couples in their 50s and upwards split after decades together, also called a ‘silver separation’, proving that even being together for longer than Gen Z kids have been on this earth doesn’t mean a marriage is immune.
HELLO! looks back at some of the most surprising celebrity grey divorces over the years.
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Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness
The acting couple’s love story began in 1995 on the set of their show , when Hugh was 27 years-old and Deborra-Lee was 40. They hit it off instantly and tied the knot within the year, quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s most beloved couples. Upon announcing their divorce in 2023, in a statement to PEOPLE, the couple wrote, “We have been blessed to share almost three decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage. Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.” The Wolverine star and Shame actress share two kids together, Oscar and Ava.
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Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner
In May 2023, Kevin Costner’s designer second wife filed for divorce after 18 years together. The couple met while the actor was filming his 1996 rom com , but their romantic connection didn’t blossom until 1998 after he divorced his first wife and welcomed a child with Bridget Rooney. They married in 2004 and have three kids together: Cayden, Hayes, and Grace. Their separation was not all smooth sailing; after rocky legal proceedings where the couple fought over child support payments and their prenup, they finalised their divorce in February 2024.
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Meryl Streep and Don Gummer
The Devil Wears Prada actress and her sculptor hubby have been married for a whopping 45 years and have four kids together: Henry Wolf, Mamie Gummer, Grace Gummer and Louisa Jacobson. Despite being a notoriously private couple, they were Hollywood’s gold standard for longevity in a tough industry. In a speech at the Oscars in 2012, she singled out her husband, saying that “everything I value most in our lives you've given me.” Meryl and Don last appeared together at the 2018 Oscars.
4/9
Caitlyn and Kris Jenner
The pair’s whirlwind romance began on a blind date in 1990, followed by their marriage just five months later, only a month after her divorce from lawyer Robert Kardashian was finalised. The momager and Olympic athlete split in 2013 after 22 years and two kids together, Kendall and Kylie. Just two years after their divorce, Caitlyn made headlines when she publicly came out as transgender in an interview with Diane Sawyer, a revelation which the Kardashians claimed they had no knowledge of. Tensions escalated between Caitlyn and the Kardashian clan since releasing her tell-all book in 2017, The Secrets of My Life, in which she claimed that Kris knew all along about her gender dysphoria: “She insists that she was taken by surprise by my ultimate transition to Caitlyn…I told her I dressed as a woman, and she knew I did because I did it several times in front of her after we were married.”
5/9
Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus
Miley and Noah’s parents were married for an incredible 29 years before the curtains closed on their marriage in April 2022. The couple married in 1993 and had three kids together; Billy also adopted Tish’s two kids with a previous partner, Trace and Brandi, making their brood five-strong. Their marriage had been rocky for a while preceding their split; Billy Ray filed for divorce in 2010, only to change his mind and rescind it. Then came Tish’s turn to file in 2013, but the husband and wife reconciled after extensive couple’s therapy. In 2022, they finally parted ways, releasing a statement via PEOPLE expressing that “we have grown up together, raised a family we can be so proud of, and it is now time to create our own paths.”
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Bill and Melinda French Gates
The Microsoft co-founder and his philanthropist wife brought their 27-year marriage to an end in 2021 after having three kids and creating a charity together. The pair met when Melinda worked for Microsoft as a product manager under Bill, who was, of course, the CEO. Their professional admiration for each other blossomed into romance, and they married in 1994. They started their charity, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in 2000, dedicated to eliminating global inequality, championing public health and improving education across the US. Their incredible work even earned them the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. Following their divorce, Melinda received $12.5 billion and recently announced that she will donate $1 billion of this fortune over two years to organisations championing women’s rights.
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Rhea Pearlman and Danny DeVito
The two actors have had a long and often tumultuous marriage, meeting in 1971 after Rhea saw Danny star in a play and was immediately smitten. They married over a decade later and had three kids together: Lucy, Gracie, and Jake. Their on-screen chemistry was just as compelling as their off-screen love; the pair starred opposite each other in Roald Dahl’s and the classic TV show ‘Taxi’. Their marriage had its fair share of challenges; they separated in 2012 only to reconcile just six months later, before officially separating for good in 2017. They aren’t formally divorced, and they remain good friends, recently gushing about the arrival of their first grandchild in 2023.
8/9
Morgan Freeman and Myrna Colley-Lee
The notoriously private actor and his second wife separated in late 2007 after 24 years of marriage before finalising their divorce in 2010. While the reason for their separation remains shrouded in mystery, there is some speculation that infidelity was the cause. The pair have rarely shared details on their personal life and maintained a low profile during their marriage. Myrna, a costume designer by trade, reportedly received a staggering $100 million payout from the divorce.
9/9
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver
The Terminator star and his journalist wife initially met in 1977, and 25 years of marriage and four kids followed until Maria filed for divorce in 2011 after the revelation of Arnold’s infidelity. He had fathered a child with their housekeeper in 1997 and finally admitted to his indiscretion when the boy was 14 years old, prompting Maria to leave him. Despite the circumstances of their separation, the pair remain on good terms and are frequently seen together for their kids’ birthdays, weddings and graduations, putting up a united front. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Arnold reflected, “If there's Oscars for how to handle divorce, Maria and I should get it for having the least amount of impact on the kids.”
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