Posted by
Chloe Taylor

Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis split… Why are lasting celeb couples so rare?

In a shocking and actually, genuinely sad twist of fate Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis announced plans this week to separate after fourteen years together. The couple, who had seemed one of the most rock solid in showbiz, have been rubbishing rumors about a potential split for some time but the actual statement issued by Depp’s publicist, via an Entertainment Tonightexclusive, advises: “Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis have amicably separated. Please respect their privacy, and more importantly the privacy of their children“.

Well well! The long-term partners, who had never married, met in Paris in 1998 and have two children; thirteen-year-old Lily-Rose and ten-year-old Jack. The family had been living in the south of France and made the decision to relocate to Los Angeles for the sake of Depp’s career, following the huge success of his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

French actress and singer Vanessa, who previously dated singer-songwriter Lenny Kravitz, rose to fame at fourteen with hit Joe le taxi and has modeled for Chanel since 1991.

She let her own career take a backseat while Depp’s star continued to rise in commercial and critical successes with films such as Blow (2001), a quirky Charlie and the Chocolate Factory(2005) remake and several collaborations with avant-garde film director Tim Burton.

Johnny, who has a massive female following, before meeting Paradis had enjoyed high-profile relationships with supermodel Kate Moss and Winona Ryder – even having Winona Forever tattooed on him, something he later changed to Wino Forever… We like it!

Recent reports that Depp had been getting a little too friendly with The Rum Diaries (2011) co-star Amber Heard, leading to problems in his relationship with Paradis were strenuously denied while they were together. Heard, told Teen Vogue that starring alongside Depp had been: “the best experience of my life..” and is said to have danced seductively for him whilst on set. Just last month Johnny adamantly refuted claims the relationship was on the rocks, insisting “I can’t say enough about it not being over“. Perhaps at that point it wasn’t but as recent pap snaps show Vanessa house hunting and reports of Johnny renovating his new bachelor pad to include a music studio, with plans to work on his record label, it certainly seems they’ve started moving on.

So why do celebrity romances seem so ill-fated? Celebs relationships aren’t invincible and like any others, without the appropriate levels of TLC will eventually wither and die. Another favorite celebrity pairing, singer Seal and German supermodel Heidi Klum announced their intentions to divorce earlier this year, shocking many in the process by ending what had also seemed to be a concrete pairing. The couple, who have four children together, were famed for the annual renewal of their wedding vows and were regularly seen to be goofing around and enjoying each others company, which made Heidi citing, according to TMZ, “irreconcilable differences” in her divorce petition appeared especially surprising.

The fact of the matter is that although they may seem fabulous, it’s not all champagne and limousines; Hollywood lifestyles are demanding. What with the globe-trotting, time spent apart while filming and long hours on movie sets it’s a strain on any relationship. Throw media intrusion and allegations of cheating into the equation and it’s not hard to see how the intimacy of the most successful partnership could suffer. Whether Johnny’s been up to no good is their business alone – although we must admit, we’re kind of hoping that the rumors are bogus and this much revered sex symbol deserves to keep a hold of his halo.

And if he does decide to put himself back on the market anytime soon, we’re resolutely certain he won’t have much of a challenge finding a rebound. Form an orderly queue ladies, an orderly queue..

Selma: Another star has an affair… what a surprise! Okay, okay, they are just rumors but STILL! I recommend this DiscoveryGame for Paradis so she can investigate the key factors involved in Depp’s potential affair.

Giulia: Walking away from a 14 year relationship is devastating! They seemed to have all… great relationship, beautiful houses, incredible careers, amazing kids… The American Dream, really! I recommend this DiscoveryGame for both Depp and Paradis to remind them of those early magical moments that made them fall in love!