Television | Celebrity

15 Celebrity Divorces That Broke The Bank

Thought Co

Love hurts, and we don't just mean your heart. When couples decide to split it can also be a serious pain in the wallet. These 15 celebrity pairs learned that the hard way, with some record-breaking settlements that even topped $5 billion.

15. Donald Trump and Ivana Trump - $25 million

The president has been married three times, including his first marriage to Czech model Ivana Zelní­Äková. The couple had three children together - Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka. They split up in 1992 after Trump's affair with Marla Maples was uncovered, but not before the real estate mogul paid a hefty settlement.

14. Ted Danson and Casey Coats - $30 million

Another serial husband, Cheers star Ted Danson split with his first wife before marrying TV producer Casey Coates in 1977. After Danson's publicized affair with Whoopi Goldberg, the couple went their separate ways.

13. Paul McCartney and Heather Mills - $48.6 million

The singer/songwriter's relationship with the former model lasted just 6 years, from 2002 to 2008. The pair had a daughter named Beatrice Milly together.

12. James Cameron and Linda Hamilton - $50 million

The Terminator director and his star had been dating since 1991, but separated just eight months after their marriage. Hamilton blamed the divorce on Cameron's obsession with work, but also his affair with actress Suzy Amis. She became Cameron's fifth and current wife after he divorced Hamilton.

11. Kenny Rogers and Marianne Rogers - $60 million

True to his classic hit, "The Gambler" has rolled the dice on five different marriages since 1958. His divorce from Hee Haw star Marianne Gordon in 1993 was the most expensive, costing the singer $60 million.

10.  Kevin Costner and Cindy Silva - $80 million

Costner married his college sweetheart, and the couple stayed together for 16 years after tying the knot in 1978. Three of Costner's 7 children are from this marriage.

Next up is the only female celebrity on this list who paid a settlement.

9. Madonna and Guy Ritchie - as much as $92 million

Madonna is the only woman on this list who paid a settlement to her husband. She met film director Guy Ritchie - best-known for the Sherlock Holmes series - in 1998 and they married in 2000. The couple's lavish home and the pub they co-owned factored into Ritchie's huge settlement.

8. Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren - estimated at $100 million

The pro golfer had a very public fallout with his wife and former model Elin Nordegren. After leaving their home during an argument about his infidelity, Woods crashed his car into a fire hydrant. In the weeks to come his multiple affairs were exposed, and less than a year later the couple divorced.

7. Stephen Spielberg and Amy Irving - $100 million

Another director who fell in love with an actress, Spielberg's relationship with Irving was ruined because...well, because he was Steven Spielberg. "I don't want to be known as Steven's girlfriend," Irving said in an interview. After their divorce in 1989, they bought homes near each other to make co-parenting their son Maxwell easier.

6. Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison - $118 million

Ford is known for keeping his personal life very private, but we know he had a son named Malcolm and a daughter named Georgia with his second wife Melissa Mathison. She was a screenwriter, who wrote films such as E.T. and The Black Stallion.

5. Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphy - estimated at $150 million

After the "Sweet Caroline" singer divorced his high school sweetheart, he quickly married production assistant Marcia Murphy. After 25 years of marriage and two children, the couple said farewell sometime between 1994 and 1995, with Murphy getting a huge split of the singer's fortune.

4. Michael Jordan and Juanita Jordan - $200 million

The basketball pro married Juanita Vanoy in 1989, and the couple had three children together. They initially divorced in 2002 before reuniting, then changing their minds once again. At the time of their split, this was the largest celebrity divorce settlement on public record.

3. Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore Gibson - $425 million

When they met in the 1970s, Mel was just a struggling actor and Robyn was a dental nurse. They married in 1980 and stayed together until 2006, when Gibson's drunk driving arrest proved too much for the relationship to handle. By the time the divorce was finalized in 2011, Robyn's cut of her ex-husband's film work was over $400 million.

2. Rupert Murdoch and Anna Murdoch - $2.4 billion

The chairman and CEO of the News Corporation - which owns Fox News and other giant media companies around the world - this Australian billionaire has been married four times. His union with Scottish journalist Anna Trov lasted from 1967 until 1998, and Anna walked away with a decent chunk of Murdoch's fortune. Despite the payout, Murdoch is still valued at more than $11 billion.

1. Alec and Jocelyn Wildenstein - $5.5 billion

Wildenstein was a French-born art dealer and horse breeder who became an overnight celebrity during his 1997 divorce trial. His wife Jocelyn was dubbed the "Catwoman" for her love of plastic surgery. She's made headlines of her own for the extravagant way she spends her massive divorce settlement.

Wildenstein once guessed that her yearly phone bill was at least $60,000, with another $500,000 spent on food and a rumored $4 million to change her appearance.

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