Relationships that Just Can't End
They get together, break it off, and get back, over and over. It's their history. Some couples are fated to have dramatic relationships with numerous bustsups and makeups. They don't even have to be married; the breakups and makeups don't require a wedding band. Why do some couples keep saying it's over, only to bond together again?
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It's the stuff of E! and TMZ, but celebrity breakups and makeups are among the most popular news stories in the world. Just as people are fascinated with people who have multiple marriages, the same fascination exists for couples who repeat their romantic entanglements with the same person over and over again. You have to wonder what keeps these couples together - and why they keep breaking apart.
The names of celebrity couples who can't seem to stay together any more than they can stay apart are well known. There's Derek Jeter and Minka Kelly; Denise Richards and Richie Sambora; Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel (at left); Tea Leoni and David Duchovny; Jude Law and Sienna Miller; and Robin Wright Penn and Sean Penn. Some of these couples actually have been married. Others are just involved in long term relationships. Most recently, the highest profile couple who fits into this On Again/Off Again marriage plan are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, who were recently seen in public sporting their wedding bands. It was reported that Shriver is reconsidering sticking with her famously cheating husband and her troubled marriage for religious reasons. But wait! Now they're apart again.
Besides religion as a reason to stay married to an unfaithful, lying louse, why would any ordinary woman stay married or repeatedly get back together with such a man? Certainly Tea Leoni has had her hands full, dealing with her famously sexually derelict spouse. The usual reason is love, blind love, and the belief that people can change. That's why these women continue to forgive, although it would be surprising if they found it in their hearts to forget what they're forgiving. Other reasons for reconciliation usually have to do with thinking "what's best for the children," or loss of status, or financial imperatives. Sadly, many women are emotionally addicted to abusive men. Other women are just afraid to be alone and that's why when he begs to take her back, she can't resist or is flattered by her partner's renewed vows of affection.
The best thing about these repeated reconciliations is that you already know what to expect. Many couples thrive on high drama, which is what these on again, off again marriages represent. But the worst thing about going back to the same bad man again is that it's humiliating, and makes it hard to save face with your friends. Think about Rhianna and Chris Brown. You only get so much slack (or sympathy) for behaving like an idiot. It's just best to move on.
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