Expensive Divorces
We countdown the most expensive divorce settlements in A-List history
rex featuresNo 34: Renée Zellweger and Kenny Chesney
After a whirlwind romance that just lasted four months, Renée Zellweger ended her marriage to country singer Kenny Chesney. Because the nuptials were annulled, he wasn’t entitled to any of her $45m fortune.
Estimated Settlement: $0
paNo 33: Sandra Bullock and Jesse James
Sandra Bullock and Jesse James’ break-up was one of the most shocking of 2010. The exact terms of the divorce have been sealed by the court but Sandra is rumoured to be worth a massive $85m and Jesse is likely to have got some of this.
Estimated Settlement: Unknown
PA PhotosNo 32: Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony
Jennifer Lopez was more concerned about getting her name back than money when she divorced Marc Anthony. The star was legally known as Jennifer Muniz (Marc’s real second name) and requested courts change it back to Jennifer Lopez. The pair did not have a big financial settlement as they only have one property that’s in both their names (their house in California) and both asked for joint legal and physical custody of their twins.
Estimated Settlement: Unknown
paNo 31: Halle Berry and Eric Benet
A pre-nup saved Halle Berry from paying her philandering husband Eric Benet too much of her estimated $100m fortune, when they split in 2004.
Estimated Settlement: Unknown
paNo 30: Kate Winslet and Jim Threapleton
Kate Winslet had to hand over half of her fortune in 2001 when she divorced assistant film director Jim Threapleton after three years. The pair have since mended their differences and are regularly seen out together with daughter Mia.
Estimated Settlement: $4m
No 29: Katie Holmes & Tom Cruise
Katie Holmes didn’t get quite as much as you’d expect of
Tom Cruise’s $250m fortune – thanks in part to the pre-nup she signed before the pair married. She does get $400,000 a year in child support till Suri turns 18 but nothing else (which is apparently all she wanted).
Estimated Settlement: $4.8m
paNo 28: Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe
When Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe split in 2006, she was earning $15m a film; he was getting $3m. Though neither party asked for money from the other side, California law entitles Ryan to half Reese’s fortune.
Estimated Settlement: Unknown
paNo 27: David Hasselhoff and Pamela Bach
Life certainly wasn’t a beach for Baywatch star David Hasselhoff during his 2008 divorce. Pamela Bach, his wife of 16 years, walked away with $25,000 a month. But, bizarrely, as part of the settlement, he kept ownership of the nickname “The Hoff”.
Estimated Settlement: $5m
PA PhotosNo 26: Khloe Kardashian & Lamar Odom
Despite having an iron-clad pre-nup, Khloe Kardashian still got a tidy sum from her ex Lamar, following their break-up. The reality star is set to receive $7m, or $500,000 for every year of their nearly-four-year union. But it’s all small change for basketball-player Lamar, who’s rumoured to be worth $116m in total.
Estimated Settlement: $7m
paNo 25: Cheryl and Ashley Cole
Cheryl Cole was thought to have been the recipient when she split from footballer Ashley Cole – despite originally claiming that she didn’t want any of Ashley’s substantial fortune.
Estimated Settlement: $7.5m (rumoured)
paNo 24: Katie Price and Peter Andre
Katie Price and Peter Andre might have had a war of words in the media but the financials surrounding their break-up were relatively uncomplicated. Pete took a half share in the £12m they had earned during their marriage but didn’t ask for any of the £28m Katie earned before she met him.
Estimated Settlement: $9.6m
Rex FeaturesNo 23: Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphries
They were only married for 72 days but Kim Kardashian’s marriage to Kris Humphries certainly cost her a lot of money and, no doubt, sleepless nights. The exact terms of the settlement have been left undisclosed but it’s thought that Kris turned down Kim’s initial offer of $10m.
Estimated Settlement: Plus $10m
paNo 22: Rod Stewart and Rachel Hunter
Rod Stewart’s divorce from Rachel Hunter went on a staggering seven years! The ageing rocker is worth $175m but Rachel isn’t entitled to a significant portion as she signed a pre-nup. No details of the settlement have ever been revealed (the below is rumoured) but we reckon Rachel didn’t do too badly out of it!
Estimated Settlement: $12.3m
paNo 21: Thierry Henry and Nicole Merry
Thierry Henry must have lost a considerable amount of his va-va-voom when he was forced to say au revoir to his ex-wife, model Nicole Merry, with a very big bank cheque.
Estimated Settlement: $12.8m
paNo 20: Britney Spears and Kevin Federline
A pre-nup between Britney Spears and K-Fed entitled him to get $250,000 for each year that they were married but Britney increased this to $500,000 to speed up negotiations. Her ex-husband got a lot more in the end, with a share of the property they owned, but the entitlement prevents him from writing about the experience of being Mr Spears.
Estimated Settlement: $13m
paNo 19: Jennifer Lopez and Cris Judd
Jennifer Lopez’s marriage to Cris Judd didn’t even last a year – but it cost her dearly. The hefty bill that followed saw the singer divide her assets, including a $9.5m mansion in Florida and an estate in LA.
Estimated Settlement: $15m
WENNNo 18: Ashton Kutcher & Demi Moore
These two took a whopping two years to come to an agreement on their divorce. The main sticking point: that Demi Moore was requesting spousal support, despite being worth significantly more than Ashton Kutcher. (She has a cool $150m in the bank) With no pre-nup, Ashton had no choice but to pay out a proportion of what he’d earned since being with the actress. A hefty chunk, considering he’s the highest-earning actor on TV thanks to his role in Two And A Half Men.
Estimated Settlement: Unknown
paNo 17: Janet Jackson and Rene Elizondo
When Janet Jackson split from her husband of nine years, Rene Elizondo, he took with him a good bit of her fortune. As well as several million dollars, the former dancer walked away with the couple’s $120,000 Mercedes and their five-bedroom Malibu beachfront home. Bet it made Janet wanna scream!
Estimated Settlement: $15m
paNo 16: Jo and Ronnie Wood
Ronnie Wood divorced Jo, his wife of 23 years in 2009. As part of the out-of-court settlement that followed, Jo got the family’s mansion in Kingston Vale and a monthly allowance.
Estimated Settlement: $18.4m
paNo 15: Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall
Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall were married in a Hindu-inspired ceremony in Indonesia in 2000 – which Mick later (when he wanted a divorce) said wasn’t legal. The court threw this out and awarded Jerry a multi-million-pound settlement.
Estimated Settlement: Between $12m-20m
paNo 14: Lionel Richie and Diane Richie
When Lionel Richie divorced his wife Diane in 2004, she demanded a huge $264,000 a month in spousal support, claiming that the couple regularly spent this on their “extraordinary extravagant lifestyle” (Diane’s words). She got less than that but not that much less!
Estimated Settlement: $20m
paNo 13: Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston
Hollywood’s fairytale marriage ended with a $60m divorce deal which saw Jennifer Aniston taking sole control of the couple’s Beverly Hills mansion, and Brad Pitt taking control of their film production company, Plan B.
Estimated Settlement: Jen got $29m; Brad the rest.
paNo 12: Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards had a notoriously nasty divorce, but in the end, the actress was awarded $40m. This included a $7m divorce settlement, $25m in syndication royalties from Charlie’s Two And A Half Men TV series, and $10m in child support over 15 years (tax free).
Estimated Settlement: $40m
paNo 11: Michael Douglas and Diandra Luker
Michael Douglas married Diandra Luker in 1977, six weeks after they met, but sorting out the finances of their 23-year marriage took significantly longer. The couple were embroiled in court cases for years, with Diandra fighting for half of Michael’s Wall Street 2 salary because he made the original movie when he was still married to her.
Estimated Settlement: $45m
paNo 10: Paul McCartney and Heather Mills
Heather Mills described finalising a divorce deal with Paul McCartney “like getting blood out of a stone” but she did OK, receiving $22m for herself, $4m to buy a house in London and maintenance towards looking after the couple’s daughter Beatrice.
Estimated Settlement: $49m
RexNo 9: Kevin Costner and Cindy Silva
High up on the list of pricey splits is Kevin Costner and his childhood sweetheart Cindy Silva. The pair were married for 16 years, which included the peak of the actor’s Hollywood career. This put Cindy in prime position to walk away with A LOT of cash.
Estimated Settlement: $80m
paNo 8: Madonna and Guy Ritchie
Madonna is the biggest female loser on our divorce countdown. It was originally reported that Guy Ritchie didn’t want a penny of his wife’s fortune, but the director took home a sixth of her $480m fortune in cash and property, including the couple’s country home, Ashcombe House and their West London pub, the Punchbowl.
Estimated Settlement: $80m
paNo 7: Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison
No wonder Harrison Ford took his time proposing to his third wife, Calista Flockhart; his second marriage, to ET screenwriter Melissa Mathison, ended with a very expensive bill. Melissa was not only entitled to the actor’s assets during their marriage, but also future earnings from the films that Harrison made while they were together.
Estimated Settlement: $85m
paNo 6: Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman
In legal papers, Tom Cruise claimed that he and Nicole Kidman separated three days before their 10th wedding anniversary, meaning that by just 72 hours, the actor escaped having to support his wife for the rest of her life. The final division of their $342m joint fortune was never disclosed but the actress, who went on to win an Oscar that year, was said to be happy with her cut.
Estimated Settlement: $90m
paNo 5: Steven Speilberg and Amy Irving
Steven Spielberg and his wife of four years split up amiably – but it cost the Jaws director a whole wad of cash. Unfortunately for him, the judge in the case ruled that the pre-nuptial agreement written on a napkin was not legally binding as there was no legal representation to witness it.
Estimated Settlement: $100m
paNo 4: Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren
They seemed like the poster-perfect American family but after a bizarre late-night car crash and a chain of sexual allegations the world’s first billionaire sportsman Tiger Woods and his model wife started thrashing out the financials. She kept one of the Florida homes, while he got the £2m LA apartment and their 155ft yacht. Elin reportedly signed a pre-nuptial agreement before the marriage, allowing her $20m after 10 years, but this is thought to have been renegotiated in the wake of the scandal surrounding her husband.
Estimated Settlement: $110m
paNo 3: Michael and Juanita Jordan
Basketball star Michael Jordan proved that he really was in a league of his own when, in 2007, he split from Juanita, his wife of 17 years, and set a record for the most expensive settlement (at the time). The final package included the couple’s seven-acre estate in Chicago and custody of their three children.
Estimated Settlement: $168m
paNo 2: Roman and Irina Abramovich
Roman Abramovich got away with paying his wife Irina “just” $300m when they divorced in 2007. It was rumoured that she was in line to get $8.8bn of his fortune but the pair divorced in Russia, where wives are not entitled to as much.
Estimated Settlement: $300m
rex featuresNo 1: Mel Gibson and Robyn Gibson
If there’s one man who knows that celebrity divorces don’t come cheap, it’s Mel Gibson. His wife of 28 years, Robyn, is rumoured to be in line for up to half of his one-billion-dollar fortune – because she never signed a pre-nup.
Estimated Settlement: $512m
