Getting divorced when you're young definitely has its disadvantages: It's no fun having to tell a potential love interest that yep, you're a divorcé at 27 (or 22 or 29 -- whatever the case may be). And good luck trying to quiet your inner pessimistic voice when friends tell you they're getting married.
But think of the perks of divorcing a little earlier in life than others: You're learning the hard relationship lessons it takes some people years to fully grasp.
The celebs below -- including Scarlett Johansson and Olivia Wilde -- all divorced in their 20s and learned a great deal about relationships because of it. Read what they had to say about divorce below.
Olivia Wilde, who divorced filmmaker Tao Ruspoli at 27, talked about having the courage to leave her marriage in a 2013 Marie Claire interview: "I had grown up with Tao; we had just drifted...I felt I had something to prove. If you fall off a horse, you get back up. I am not a quitter," she said. "I hung on for as long as possible, until it was more hurtful to stay…I’m so grateful for the pain and the heartbreak. It gave me the courage to leave and brought me to the great love of my life."
After her divorce from Russell Brand at 27, Katy Perry talked about the importance of self-care (and a good hike!) in an 2013 interview with Marie Claire: "There are two ways you can go: You can either nurture yourself or go destructive. I have gone down the destructive path before, and that didn't work for me," she said. "You dig deep beyond those scars and find that soft tissue again, and you massage and nurture it and bring it to life, little by little, through serving yourself well. I did it through hikes and vitamins and therapy and prayer and good friends."
In 2012, Kim Kardashian told InStyle magazine that her divorce had taught her to take things slow in relationships. (The reality star divorced first husband Damon Thomas at 24 and second husband Kris Humphries at 32.) "I've always been the type to fall in love fast and, with every boyfriend, I plan out my wedding in my head. It's taught me to take things slow," she said. "Anyone would want to move on and take the lesson learned from it. I loved this person, it just wasn't the right situation for me. I try to hold my head up high and live my life."
Divorced at 25 from boy-bander Nick Lachey, Jessica Simpson opened up to Glamour magazine about the divorce and her reservations about remarriage: "It was hard to imagine I would ever walk down the aisle again," Simpson, who's now remarried, told the mag in 2009. "It was like a death in the family: You go through the mourning stage, then the rebellion, and then all of a sudden you have to find life by yourself. Once you do that, you feel complete -- and that’s the only time you can truly fall in love again, and give yourself over completely to another person."
In an interview with Glamour magazine in 2014, Scarlett Johansson talked about becoming better at relationships since her divorce from Ryan Reynolds at 26. She said, "I feel I know now more of what I need in a relationship, what I want in a relationship. And I know I have more tools to communicate, not just with my partner, but with myself. That’s not necessarily any reflection of who I was married to or what was happening in my marriage, but really where I was in my life.”
In a 2014 interview with Vulture, Elisabeth Moss discussed the advantage of divorcing at a young age. (The "Mad Men" actress split from comedian Fred Armisen when she was 28.) She said, "Looking back, I feel like I was really young, and at the time I didn't think that I was that young. It was extremely traumatic and awful and horrible. At the same time, it turned out for the best. I'm glad that I'm not there. I'm glad that it didn't happen when I was 50. I'm glad I didn't have kids. And I got that out of the way. Hopefully. Like, that's probably not going to happen again."
In 2011, Kate Hudson, who divorced Chris Robinson at 27, told talk show host Graham Norton she was in no rush to remarry: "I am 31, I already have one child, and have had one divorce, so it is not necessarily the golden ticket. I just want to be happy," she said.
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