May-December Celebrity Divorces
By Daniel Bukszpan, CNBC.com
May-December Celebrity Divorces
On Nov. 17, 2011, after six years of marriage, celebrity couple Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher filed for divorce . The pair had made headlines when they first emerged as a couple, and very few of those headlines ran without pointing out the 16-year age difference between the two of them.
The age gap between Moore and Kutcher made their union a classic May-December romance, and the list of celebrities who have engaged in such unions is long. Almost as long, however, is the list of such couples who couldn't keep their marriages together. Divorces lawyers have full coffers thanks to the dissolution of such May-December celebrity unions, particularly when there was no pre-nuptial agreement in place.
What are some notable May-December celebrity divorces?
Demi Moore & Ashton Kutcher
When actors Demi Moore and Bruce Willis divorced in 2000 after 13 years of marriage, people were shocked. The only thing more shocking was when it was revealed that her new partner was the star of "That 70s Show," Ashton Kutcher. Besides the 16-year age gap they seemed like an odd fit, and the unconventional relationship they maintained with Willis raised more than a few eyebrows, particularly when it was revealed that they all went on vacations together.
Still, it seemed to work for some intangible reason, and the couple finally wed in 2005. However, there was trouble in paradise, including allegations that Kutcher had been unfaithful. Eventually the strain became more than they could handle and Moore announced her intention to end the marriage in November 2011.
Kelsey Grammer & Camille Donatacci
Actor Kelsey Grammer of "Cheers" and "Frasier" fame is no stranger to the altar, or to the divorce lawyer for that matter. He has been married four times, and the longest of these unions was his 14-year marriage to Camille Donatacci, a dancer, model and actress 13 years his junior who is best known as a cast member on "The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills."
In 2010 she filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences, and the divorce was granted in February 2011. Although the settlement has not yet been made public, Camille Grammer said in her court filings that the couple's shared assets may be worth as much as $20 million.
Prince Charles & Lady Diana
When the UK's Prince Charles married Diana Spencer in 1981, the whole world was watching. Literally. Aside from the 3,500 guests who came to St. Paul's Cathedral in London to watch the couple exchange vows, hundreds of millions more across the globe watched the couple wed on television. It was a storybook union, or so it seemed.
The Prince, who was 13 years his bride's senior, had been carrying on an affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles; Charles and his wife finally divorced in 1996. In the settlement, she was awarded £17 million, the equivalent of $27 million and equal to $39 million today.
Larry Fortensky & Elizabeth Taylor
Larry Fortensky is a former construction worker best known as the final husband of legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor. The pair met at the Betty Ford Clinic in 1988 and married in 1991 at a ceremony at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. The star-studded event was attended by such luminaries as Nancy Reagan, Liza Minnelli and Merv Griffin.
At the time, more than a few people speculated that Fortensky, nearly 20 years Taylor's junior, was only after the actress' money, and indeed when they were married she frequently showered him with expensive gifts. It was later revealed he had signed a pre-nuptial agreement that stipulated he would be awarded $1 million if the marriage lasted at least five years. The union lasted until 1996, five years after the wedding had taken place.
Taylor died in 2011 and Fortensky vehemently denies that he was ever after her money. "I have wonderful memories of my time with Elizabeth," he said, "and I will treasure her memory forever."
Full slideshow: May-December Celebrity Divorces
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