Saying goodbye is never easy. No matter how much experience you might have with it, they are always hard.
When it comes to the rich and famous, parting ways with a spouse or a romantic partner can be not only tragic but also heavy on the wallet and, in recent times, we have witnessed some hugely surprising and unexpected celebrity divorces which made headlines for weeks.
The Most Expensive Break-Up in the World
The split of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife of 25 years, Mackenzie, sent shockwaves around the world. It all started at a New York hedge fund over two decades ago and, after a quarter of a century together, the two have called it quits.
What’s even harder to fathom is that Jeff and Mackenzie’s divorce came just a year after the Amazon boss had become the world’s richest individual, and the split even caused investors to start worrying about Bezos’s control over Amazon.
If the divorce settlement causes an even division of Amazon’s fortune, then Mackenzie will become the world’s richest lady after securing a whopping $69 billion.
The split of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife of 25 years, Mackenzie, sent shockwaves around the world.
An 8-Digit Settlement
Harvey Weinstein, the former Hollywood baron, had been married to fashion designer Georgina Chapman for around a decade. However, once the MeToo campaign got underway in 2017, dozens of actresses and female celebrities accused the movie mogul of harassment.
That brought an end to Harvey’s relationship with Georgina and the divorce settlement was estimated to be worth $20 million. As part of the prenup, Harvey is obliged to pay $300,000 to Chapman in lieu of spousal support every year, and this sum is expected to rise to $400,000 during the next 10 years.
Harvey and Georgina also hold a $15 million townhouse in New York as well as a $12 million beach house in the Hamptons.
Divorced-Married-Divorced
Space X and Tesla Founder Elon Musk and his first wife Justine Wilson met at the Queen’s University in Ontario. After getting married at the turn of the century, the two moved to LA where they had a son named Nevada.
However, it wasn’t long before Nevada lost his battle for life against SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Later on, the couple had twins as well as triplets, which sums to a total of 5 sons.
Harvey Weinstein, the former Hollywood baron, had been married to fashion designer Georgina Chapman for around a decade
The two went their separate ways in 2008. Two years later, the innovation-obsessed tech mogul tied the knot with actress Talulah Riley but it didn’t last long as the couple divorced in 2012, before remarrying in 2013.
Then again, in 2014, Musk filed for divorce again before withdrawing his application. However, things didn’t quite settle down between them and Riley again filed for divorce in 2016. This time, it was over for good despite reports that Musk and Riley are still on good terms with each other.
A Million Dollar Split
Jack Welch, former Chairman of General Electric (GE), had to part with an eye-watering $180 million after splitting with his wife of 14 years, Jane Beasley. Even though Welch tried his best to keep things under wraps, Beasley filed an affidavit which brought to fore the couple’s lavish living style.
Divorce After A Huge Wedding
India’s richest man Lakshmi Mittal reportedly spent a mind-numbing $78 million on the wedding of his only daughter Vanisha Mittal to Amit Bhatia. Vanisha and Amit got married in an extravagant ceremony in 2004 and stayed together for a decade before going their separate ways.
Divorce After 27 Years Together
They say that time cannot define how much you know about another individual. This could not have been truer than in the case of Hidesign’s Dilip Kapur and Jacqueline, his German wife.
The two had been together for 27 years. Jacqueline later revealed that she left her husband after finding out that he had been dating a 24-year-old.
Jack Welch, former Chairman of General Electric (GE), had to part with an eye-watering $180 million after splitting with his wife of 14 years, Jane Beasley
Trouble in Paradise
Hotelier and actor Vikram Chatwal’s wedding with model Priya Sachdev was an extremely lavish 10-day affair spread over three different cities. 600 guests from 26 countries attended the festivities, the majority of whom were brought over in chartered planes. After getting married amid much celebration in 2006, Vikram and Priya parted ways in 2011.