Of all the celebrity divorces that came our way in the last decade, Gwyneth Paltrow splitting from Chris Martin and Anna Faris’ divorce from Chris Pratt easily hit us the hardest.
While we’ll never completely know the full story behind these relationships (nor should we, celebrities deserve privacy too), there was collective shock when these power couples chose to split, and naturally we’re always curious as to how it all went down.
Now, Anna Faris and Gwyneth Paltrow have actually been quite candid about their divorce experiences, after Gwyneth appeared as a guest on Anna’s podcast, Anna Faris Is Unqualified.
“I’ve learned so much from something I wanted least in the world. I never wanted to get divorced,” Gwyneth told Anna during the episode, explaining that she always imagined she’d remain married to the father of her children.
Gwyneth met Chris Martin, frontman of Coldplay, back in 2002 when the band was on tour in Los Angeles. They dated for a year before marrying in 2003, before having daughter Apple in 2004 and son Moses in 2006. However, the relationship eventually reached its end in 2014, when the couple famously “consciously uncoupled”.
However, Gwyneth told Anna the experience taught her plenty of life lessons, and prepared her for her second marriage to producer Brad Falchuk. “I have learned more about myself through [the divorce] process than I could have imagined, and because I focused on accountability, I was then able to find the most amazing man and build something that I’ve never had before with my husband.”
She also says the reason they work is communication.
“I was scared, because he is a person who demands presence and intimacy and communication in a way that I just didn’t know how to—I like to fight by shutting down. I’m like, ‘Goodbye.’ I, like, leave the room,” she told Anna, adding “He was like, ‘No, absolutely not. We’re sitting down, and we’re figuring this out.’ He demands that I’m honest with myself in a way that is hard for me, but which really helps me grow.”
Anna was even more specific about her relationship breakdown, saying “competitiveness” was a factor.
“My two other marriages were with actors and I don’t think we did a great job of eliminating competitiveness. Or at least I didn’t, being a proud person, and not wanting to reveal vulnerability.”
Anna was married to actor Ben Indra from 2004 to 2008, before meeting and marrying Parks and Recreation star Chris Pratt, who she was with from 2009 to 2018. She’s currently engaged to cinematographer Michael Barrett.
“Any hint of competitiveness and comparison, I didn’t handle that very well, I don’t think. And I hope I’ve grown from that,” she told Gwyneth.
