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Pat Gallagher

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Celebrities Who Bailed On Their Partners After 15+ Years Together

Posted: 08/22/2012 3:45 am

What's worse than "the heartbreak of Psoriasis?" The heartbreak of separating from your significant other after one, two or three decades together. It's got to be emotionally draining. Dr. Phil can't be everywhere. (And don't count on Taylor Swift to write a song about breaking up with a partner after being together for over 15 years. Give her 30 more years and we'll see.)

Celebrities are the population at large that we hear about when it comes to breakups (not Jane & John Doe so much unless they're our personal friends or next-door neighbors) so let's run down the list of post 50 celebs who bailed out of their relationships after 15 -- or more -- years together.

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  • Kenny G & Lyndie Benson-Gorelick (20 Years)

    This is fresh. We just <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/13/kenny-g-divorce-lyndie-benson-gorelick_n_1773995.html" target="_hplink">got word of Kenny G's divorce filing</a> even though he and wife Lyndie separated several months ago. The two got married in 1992, had two sons, lived a quiet life, no ugly rumors of philandering. So what could have happened here? Maybe bad sax?

  • Morgan Freeman & Myrna Colley-Lee (26 Years)

    <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Freeman" target="_hplink">Myrna Colle-Lee was Morgan Freeman's second wife</a>. (He was married for 12 years to wife number one, Jeanette Adair Bradshaw.) Since there's no public explanation for why the "Driving Miss Daisy" actor and Colley-Lee decided to abandon their marriage after 26 years, we're going to assume it's the standard "irreconcilable differences."

  • Maria Shriver & Arnold Schwarzenegger (25 Years)

    <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Shriver" target="_hplink">These two lovebirds got married on April 26, 1986</a>, had four beautiful children, seemed to have the perfect life until -- oopsy -- word leaked out in May 2011 that he <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/17/arnold-schwarzenegger-fathered_n_862867.html" target="_hplink">got the housekeeper pregnant</a> 14 years earlier, love child surfaced , so we'll see ya Arnold. Don't let the door hit you on the way out! (I'm Team Maria, just in case anyone is wondering.)

  • Jessica Lange & Sam Shepard (27 years)

    Sam Shepard was Lange's third serious relationship, lasting the longest. The "King Kong" actress was married to photographer Francisco Grande (1970-1981); had a relationship with ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov which produced one child, and lived with playwright/actor Sam Shepard from 1983 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Shepard" target="_hplink">until they quietly split in 2010</a> after two children together.

  • Jack Nicholson & Angelica Houston (16 Years)

    Jack was married to Sandra Knight from 1962 to 1968, divorced and hooked up with actress Angelica Houston for 16 years until (uh-oh) Ms. Houston found out he had fathered a child with Rebecca Broussard. So she grabbed her belongings and hit the road. Nicholson had one more child with Broussard but they never legalized their partnership. So this begs the question: Can any woman put Jack in a box? Don't even try.

  • Harrison Ford & Mary Marquardt (15 Years)

    This was Harrison Ford's first marriage. The couple, who were married from 1964 to 1979, had two sons. Mary married a carpenter and divorced "Han Solo" -- the leading man in "Star Wars."

  • Harrison Ford & Melissa Mathison (21 Years)

    You can't say Harrison Ford doesn't try. He married screenwriter Melissa Mathison in 1983 and they divorced in 2004 after 21 years together. The "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" screenwriter and her husband had one son and a daughter together. She saw her husband through "Star Wars Episode IV: The Return of the Jedi," three "Indiana Jones" movies, "Witness," and "Patriot Games," before calling it quits. Ford married actress Calista "Ally McBeal" Flockhart in 2010.

  • Susan Sarandon & Tim Robbins (21 Years)

    Didn't we always think they were happy? He's 12 years younger, but she actually looked <em>his</em> age all those years. Although they never had a piece of paper documenting their relationship, they lived together as a couple for 21 years producing two sons together. When they announced they were going their separate ways in 2009, it was quite surprising. Little things add up I guess.

  • Al & Tipper Gore (40 Years)

    Forty years -- high-end politics (Vice President of the United States isn't bad), a beautiful wife, four children, an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy, a Nobel-Peace Prize, all the pancakes he can eat -- just didn't work out in the end for the VP. The couple announced in 2010, "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Gore" target="_hplink">they had made a mutual decision to separate</a>." What can we say? How can two people go through 40 years together and then, poof, it's over just like that? It's not that easy being "Green."

  • Robert Redford & Lola Van Wagenen (27 Years)

    Lola Van Wagenen became Mrs. Robert Redford on Aug. 9, 1958 in Las Vegas, Nevada. They had four children together although their first born son Scott <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Redford" target="_hplink">died at age 2 ½ months on Nov. 17, 1959</a> of sudden infant death syndrome. The "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" actor and his first wife divorced in 1985. In July 2009, Redford married his longtime partner, Sibylle Szaggars.

  • Jerry Lewis & Patti Palmer (36 Years)

    This is a hard one. Jerry Lewis is a comedic icon who spent over 55 years raising millions of dollars for the Muscular Dystrophy Association with his yearly Labor Day telethons. He use to make me laugh out loud when I was a kid. Back in the day, he would always point out his wife Patti in the audience at the telethons -- the mother of his six sons -- to acknowledge his love and devotion for her. When he divorced her in 1980, it was as if my own parents were announcing they were splitting up. I don't want to talk about it. (He remarried. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Lewis" target="_hplink">Look it up</a>.)

  • Ken Berry & Jackie Joseph (17 Years)

    The "Mayberry RFD" and "Mama's Family" actor wed "Little Shop of Horrors" actress Jackie Joseph in 1960, adopted two children and divorced in 1977. Jackie <a href="http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20104377,00.html" target="_hplink">joined a support group</a> (circa 1981) with other Hollywood ex- wives, forming "The Hollywood Ex-Wives Club" they called "LADIES" (acronym for Life After Divorce Is Essentially Sane) -- which included Sandi Nimoy (the former Mrs. Leonard Nimoy), Lynn Landon (the former Mrs. Michael Landon), Susan Stafford (the former Mrs. Dick Ebersol) and Faye Maltese (the former Mrs. Gene Hackman). Joseph re-married in 2003.

  • Robin Williams & Marsha Garces (19 Years)

    After Robin Williams divorced his first wife, Valerie Velardi in 1988 (one son), he married his son's nanny Marsha Garces in 1989 "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Williams" target="_hplink">who was several months pregnant with his child</a>." They went on to have a second child, but in 2008 Marsha filed for divorce citing (what else) "irreconcilable differences." Seriously, what does that mean? Maybe the "Mork & Mindy" comedian said "Na-Nu, Na-Nu" in his sleep one too many times. Williams remarried in 2011.

  • Michael Jordan & Juanita Vanoy (17 Years)

    The basketball legend married his sweet Juanita in 1989. They have two sons and a daughter, but clearly trouble in paradise was brewing, because in 2002 they filed for divorce. They reconciled but once again, but filed and were granted a divorce in 2006. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jordan" target="_hplink">Reports surfaced that Juanita received $168 million in the settlement</a>. If anyone is interested, <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-20/news/chi-juanita-jordan-to-sell-chicago-penthouse-20120320_1_penthouse-juanita-jordan-michael-jordan" target="_hplink">Juanita has her 8,000-square-foot triplex Lake Shore penthouse on the market for $5 million</a>. And in other real estate news, MJ put his 56,000-square-foot Highland Park compound up for sale for just $29 million.

  • Willie Nelson & Connie Koepke (17 Years)

    "The Red Headed Stranger" may be one of the best country singers <em>ever</em>, but he has a little trouble in the area of matrimony. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Nelson" target="_hplink">Willie has been married four times (fathered seven children)</a>, Connie Koepke being his third wife. Follow along (stay focused): Willie was married to Martha Matthews from 1952 to 1962, married Shirley Collie in 1963, divorced in 1971 after he apparently got Connie pregnant while still married to "Don't call me" Shirley; married Connie in 1971. That marriage ended after 17 years. He married wife number four, Angie D'Angelo, in 1991, and (so far) they are still sharing the same joint together (if you get my drift). That's encouraging.

  • Anthony Hopkins & Jennifer Lynton (29 Years)

    Sir Anthony Hopkins was married for five years to his first wife, Martha O'Brien, then took Jennifer Lynton as his second wife in 1973. That union sailed along for 29 years until they divorced in 2002. Hopkins wasted no time taking his third wife, Stella Arroyave -- an antiques dealer -- in 2003. He says that "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stella_Arroyave" target="_hplink">he met her one day when he walked into her shop</a>." That's the classic: being in the right place at the right time. Lucky Stella!

  • Danielle Steel & John Traina (17 Years)

    This prolific romantic novelist has been married five times. Her fourth husband, John Traina (inset) stayed the longest -- 17 years. The 65-year-old writer's life is quite interesting (someone should write a novel about <em>her</em> life) so check it out <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danielle_Steel" target="_hplink">here</a>. My plate is full, but someone should step up -- I smell a big screen film biopic on her life.

  • Clint Eastwood & Maggie Johnson (31 Years)

    "Dirty Harry" was married to his first wife, Maggie, from 1953 to 1984. Wow, married 31 years to the man who has been described as a "serial womanizer." No need to name names, but the man did get around. (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clint_Eastwood" target="_hplink">Did I read he has seven children by five different women?</a>) Eastwood married television news anchor Dina Ruiz in 1996, they have one daughter together and seem to be nesting quite happily. That's the good, the bad, and the ugly. (Sorry.)

 

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What's worse than "the heartbreak of Psoriasis?" The heartbreak of separating from your significant other after one, two or three decades together. It's got to be emotionally draining. Dr. Phil can't ...
What's worse than "the heartbreak of Psoriasis?" The heartbreak of separating from your significant other after one, two or three decades together. It's got to be emotionally draining. Dr. Phil can't ...
 
 
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10:11 PM on 08/24/2012
Has anyone noticed that quite a lot of these long-time couples aren't even MARRIED??? That's why you don't get married -- to make it easier to split!!!
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cheo
better a bleeding heart than none at all
01:58 AM on 08/26/2012
I know what you mean. But, my partner and I were together through 35 years, a son, working in a clay studio together and the purchase of a couple of different homes. We got married 5 years ago so that we could take care of some end-of-life legal decisions, wills, etc. I don't see us splitting now that we are married. We made a commitment to each other many years ago and we keep it because we want to.
07:04 PM on 08/26/2012
Yes, but you finally MADE that commitment. I'm talking about hetero couples who have the choice of getting married or not. My partner and I were together for 22 years. He died very suddenly and it took a while to find the will. His sister and her husband were really trying to get me out of the house and seize his assets before that, though.
07:40 PM on 08/24/2012
this is news?

actors are a different breed of people apart from the norm
they have to be. Constantly living/acting out other peoples lives, and fantasies, etc.
Always in the public eye, rarely any privacy, living inside a fishbowl.

I couldn't live like that, but ! maybe the millions always make them feel better, ;>))
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chuckairforce
Patriotic Conservative
07:20 PM on 08/24/2012
I am surprised the Hollywood types last 15 years, what with all the temptations and their devotion to liberalism .. In addition, their adoring fans make them think they are something extraordinary. I also suspect the non-movie-star-partner is the one that held it together for that long having to endure a run away ego ..
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LeftLeanWing
Ah.. I said..Ah Said I said... Proceed Guv'nah
12:43 AM on 08/25/2012
Just so you know....

We don't treat nor refer to LIBERALISM as a holy religion like the Conservative Folks do.
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chuckairforce
Patriotic Conservative
07:45 AM on 08/25/2012
hmmm the lack of morals, belief in God, lack of ethics and the pornification of America . is a Conservative trait? I think not .. and who accuses who of what most?? guess you never have heard the liberal media distort the news.. good for you
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Tulka2
Solidarity. Courage. Humor.
07:05 PM on 08/24/2012
For 100,000 years of human history, we lost our teeth and died shortly after and about forty years of age.  In the 19th century men were married to the same woman till she died of childbirth and then he married another.  Three women, serially, were not uncommon on the American frontier.

Now women have control of their own reproductive lives and can easily live to be eighty.  It's like two lives in one.  Just saying.  Being married to anyone for more time than it takes to raise a good kid is admirable.  I am, btw, married close to fifty years to the same man.   Secret?  We know how to be friends.
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cheo
better a bleeding heart than none at all
01:52 AM on 08/26/2012
Congrats. We're headed for our fortieth of being together, though we've only been married for 5. And he absolutely IS my best friend. He's also my partner in our clay studio.

However, I am worried about us retaining total control over our reproductive lives. That won't affect women like you and me who are past childbearing years, but younger women are LOSING the choices which we have had since 1973. They have been since 1992 and those rights are in the most danger they have been since they were put into law.
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wallinmark
like shows;Mentilist, Bones ,Transformers,a Knight
08:00 AM on 08/26/2012
I believe in a God of forgivenes and we have free will.
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CSNC
Living on the edge -- not taking too much space
06:08 PM on 08/24/2012
"Post 50 Celebrities Who Left Long Marriages"

It is not a matter of if, but simply when-- for everyone.

E
05:37 PM on 08/24/2012
Hasn't Dr. Phil been married before also? Anyway, this is not surprising to me. After so many years together things get boring and marriage just becomes a rut, especially for people with money and stardom. And it doesn't help that movie stars are thrown together in movies and become enamored of each other.
08:18 PM on 08/24/2012
Yes, Dr. Phil was married twice. But the first one was only for a few years. The marriage he is in now has been long term.
04:42 PM on 08/24/2012
If us readers have skeletons in our closets what kind of skeletons do you think celebraties have? I used to adore Mel Gibson until I found out the truth about him. I also had a crush on Ricky Martin, well guess what? -- my aunt loved Johhny Cash music until she realized he was a womenizer. Now Tom Cruise has made it to the spot light again. I could go on and on.......
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Introspective1
Few People have absolute Facts.
03:33 PM on 08/24/2012
Why expect anythig different from celebrities?
Marriage is not the natural state, it was created
so the government can keep track of us and all we
have and is instituted for the children involved.
Being free is the normal state, with someone
of interest and compatible..
And ..That can change in one week LOL !
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Barbara0817
Why are My commets pending because I diagree?
04:55 PM on 08/24/2012
Marriage in THe Bible was do that people knew Who the fathers and Mothers of the children wer.e God created Adam and He neede a helpmate so God vcreated Eve.It wasnt untill women wanted to take the mens place that everything changed. They thought it was more fun for Thier husbands to go to work than it was to stay at home do the laundy and the shopping and carpooling.cooking, rake care of the vhildren.Maybe most women nodays dont want to be married because the life of a single woman look so good to Them
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Myles P
spelling poliece badge #1
11:50 PM on 08/24/2012
Barbara, please keep your kids away from your computer.
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stampy420
veg head delite
10:51 AM on 08/25/2012
you really need an update, girlfriend
03:23 PM on 08/24/2012
My father was married to my mother for 28 yrs they divorced, my father remarried for 19 years and she passed, he then remarried again for 15 yrs and he passed.
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Myles P
spelling poliece badge #1
11:52 PM on 08/24/2012
Wow! That's incredible.
03:20 PM on 08/24/2012
Aren't these the kind of situations where a REAL Defense Of Marriage Act should step in? Blocking gays from marriage isn't defending marriage at all. However, making divorce illegal, or requiring a five-year wait before re-marriage? Now THAT'S a more sensible definition of a what the DOMA should be about.
07:01 PM on 08/24/2012
Fault in divorce needs to return, in a modified version. The World Health Organization shows a strong correlation between adultery and spousal abuse. Dependent on the patterns and levels, verbal abuse causes physical damage, just like physical abuse does. It's just that the physical damage is internal, and unseen - to the adrenal and nervous systems. The cascade of poisonous stress hormones settle in the brain, causing acid burns to certain brain areas, (Post Traumatic Stress Injury), which take time and therapy to heal. If the abuser / adulterer knew he or she would have to pay their betrayed spouse money, less would do it. Then, the next generations would not be so traumatized, by virtue of the abandonment and other issues the children of divorce suffer.
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Myles P
spelling poliece badge #1
11:55 PM on 08/24/2012
Hmmn. I don't see the connection. Explain why you reason gay marriage has anything to do with this please.
03:01 PM on 08/24/2012
Being married over 30 years, people who are married only 15 years are like newlyweds to me. My advice is to marry someone who really really loves you.
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Myles P
spelling poliece badge #1
11:58 PM on 08/24/2012
My advice is to learn how to love. Nobody loves you naturally, they love themselves and only like how they feel when they're with you. That's not loving someone; it's loving yourself. The trick is to learn how to truly love another person; love is sacrificial in nature. It's putting another before yourself and your natural feelings.
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anitaj
12:09 AM on 08/25/2012
Congratulations to you and your sweetie!
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pslcitizen
I intend to live forever. So far, so good.
02:36 PM on 08/24/2012
Longevity is no guarantee that a marriage is more solid. I know people married for 30+ years & the honeymoon was over after year 5. They stopped talking, stop enjoying each other company & nobody wants to really talk about the issues. They stay because they are afraid what others will think, they are too dependent on one another &/or for the almighty dollar. People on the outside say 'what a wonderful marriage' when it's just an illusion. People say 'I would never live a lie' but many do every day. Then seem all shocked when the garden they neglect no longer bares any fruit..go figure.
05:40 PM on 08/24/2012
I agree with you. I know couples who have been married for a long time and in public they act as though they are happy but in private, it's a different story. No one knows what goes on behind closed doors. I even know of some long-term married couples where the husband is cheating on the wife with just about anyone who shows an interest in him but he goes home to his wife every night and she has no idea that he is stepping out.
08:24 PM on 08/24/2012
I know of a long term marriage where the wife knows full well the husband is cheating but pretends she doesn't. She wants to stay in her marriage. She is older and can't support herself so she stays. She is happy with her life. She has outside interests and hobbies and visits her children and grandchildren a lot. She has a nice home, and doesn't have to work, and her husband pays all the bills and gives her lots of money. Why should she say anything and then have the rest of her life fall apart also?
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klavezo
02:10 PM on 08/24/2012
Now I know why I liked Clint Eastwood so much. Saddle up n giddy up rawhide!
01:33 PM on 08/24/2012
The day I almost called my lawyer had nothing to do with husbands so called "friends!" We had very hard water that left water spots on the shower walls and the shower door. He always expected me to keep this spotless for him, even though I also worked 40 hours outside of the home at a very stressful job. So when I spent several hous on Saturday getting his shower spotless I also placed an extra towel in the bathroom and requested him to wipe down the walls and especially the door to prevent the terrible spots. His reply to me....."Why should I do your work?" I can honestly say that I did not reply to him for fear of what I might say at that time! But talk about being pissed! His job around the home, mow the lawn once a week and even I did that sometimes because I loved to be outside. But while I was doing that, he was either sitting on his behind watching TV or snoozing a favorite activity of his! This is when I sort of stopped putting as much money in the checking account for the bills and opened up my own checking account at my credit union! Men, and then they wonder why we don't act all lovey dovey to them when we crawl into bed with them to watch their XXXrated movies........hahaha! Wake up Men!
01:29 PM on 08/24/2012
Not sure if they' re just talking about people that are still living, but how about the most famous of all? Lucy and Desi?