I’m talking, of course, about the parting of ways of Hollywood A-listers Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie after it was revealed that their 12-year relationship is officially over.
Unsurprisingly news of the demise of America’s golden couple took the internet by storm, with #Brangelina, #BrangelinaBreakup and #BrexPitt (my personal favourite) all trending on Twitter for longer than was really decent.
‘Brangelina break up: the world reacts’ said the BBC, while ‘#Brangelina break up sends Twitter into melt-down’ sang the Telegraph.
Meanwhile Cosmo’s Instagramming of the news sparked fierce debate.
But why are we so surprised by the unsurprising?
You could say the writing was on the wall from the off: she had two failed marriages and a litany of relationships under her belt; he was already married to another Hollywood celebrity. Anyone in their right mind would say it was never going to end well.
And yet.
We were quick to forget about the slightly dubious circumstances surrounding the formation of their relationship, and it wasn’t long before they were the poster couple for everything a perfect relationship should be:
- They had kids.
- They continued to build independent successful careers.
- They had more kids.
- She became the face of international humanitarian aid.
- They had even more kids.
- He supported her when she decided to undergo a double mastectomy to avoid contracting the breast cancer that killed her mother.
- Then they had even more kids (they didn’t really – I made that bit up).
The point I’m making is that it seemed nothing could go wrong. What with their pots of money, houses on numerous continents and army of nannies, they had everything going for them. If they couldn’t make it work, what hope is there for the rest of us?
Of course all of the reasons cited above are probably the reason it didn’t work out. Who knows? Who cares? I hear you cry.
But the fact is we did care. Despite being a tabloid journalist and having written no end of articles about celebrity break-ups, I still felt sorry when I opened my homepage to be greeted with #BrexPitt.
I put it to you that the REAL reason we’re so upset about #BrexPitt is because all anyone really wants is a happy-ever-after. A real, true, happy-ever-after.
And we thought they were it. But it turns out they weren’t. Which, as Bridget Jones would say, is a little bit sh*t.
Angelina Jolie files for divorce from Brad Pitt #brangelina #cookiethenews #cookie by @sweetambs
A video posted by Cookie The News (@cookiethenews) on
Were you sorry to hear the news of Brangelina’s break up? Or couldn’t you care less? I’d love to know what you think!
Linking up with…
I am completely unbothered. A former (reformed?) journalist myself, I find myself considerably more concerned about the plight of the people of Aleppo or the refugees that died when their boat sank in the Mediterranean earlier this week. As a remarried divorcee, I get that the collapse of any marriage is a tragedy. I also feel for their kids. The harsh reality, however, is that relationships and marriages break up all the time. I’m far too cynical to believe a Hollywood couple can be happy ever after. On that note, I’m off to read about Mary Berry leaving GBBO. #TheList
Yes, it is sad. I thought they were a really strong couple who could get through anything… And when I heard about it, a little part of me panicked. If THEY could go their separate ways, am I doomed too? Keep the faith girl, keep the faith I have to remind myself!
This is funny as I’ve written a post on the exact opposite that I couldn’t give a monkeys. Yes it’s a shame as try did seem the perfect Hollywood couple bur hey ho! #thebabylist
I was really sad when I read about this, and actually really surprised! I think you’re right, we love to believe in the happy ever after, sadly it wasn’t to be. I am always sad when I hear about any couple splitting when children are involved, especially a Hollywood couple who seemingly had it all! #picknmix
It’s sad for the kids, but my husband did say “You’re in with a chance now!” #TheList
That’s a really good read and I do agree it’s sad that they have split and the media circus that now surrounds it #picknmix
It must be so hard having a break up in the public eye, you just can’t get away from it. I do feel sad for their children, but then who know what goes on behind closed doors anyway it may be the best thing.
Thanks for linking up to #PicknMix
Stevie x
Really good post as it’s s easy for people to criticise celebrities but we forget they still have to go through rough times, they still have children to worry about, hurt feelings to try and deal with. Perfect lives don’t exist in my view. It’s always sad when people break up when you least expect it #TheList
I had a weird premonition about this one, so I wasn’t all that surprised really. But it did make me think… What hope is there for the rest of us? Every time I read about a couple in the public eye breaking up, I wonder if any marriages truly do last forever these days.
I think it is sad when any couple splits up, but I must admit I didn’t lose any sleep over it. Thanks for linking up to #TheList x