Celebrity divorces happen all the time. So what have these famous faces learned from their marital mistakes? Turns out, a lot! From finally loving yourself to being a better parent, check out the life lessons these 10 celebrities say have been a direct result of their divorce.
“I’ve always been the type to fall in love fast and, with every boyfriend, I plan out my wedding in my head. [Divorce] has taught me to take things slow . . . Anyone would want to move on and take the lesson learned from it. I loved this person, it just wasn’t the right situation for me. I try to hold my head up high and live my life.”
– Kim Kardashian on what she learned from her 72-day marriage to ex-husband Kris Humphries.
“A lost year? I don’t look at it like that. Every year you have to find the positives. Even though there are a lot of negatives, I think that’s actually a good thing. I learned a lot about myself and how I could become a better person.”
– Tiger Woods‘ response when asked if his divorce in 2010 had been a setback to his golf game.
“I kept saying, ‘I failed!’ Admitting that I’m not perfect was a wonderful thing that came out of this. There’s this fear that everyone is going to be disappointed in you, but I’m human. I don’t live up to any sort of ideal.”
– Actress Olivia Wilde on what she learned from her divorce after eight years of marriage.
“We work together even though we’re going through a divorce. We are making sure that the kids grow up to be really good human beings.”
– Arnold Schwarzenegger on his commitment to co-parent with estranged wife Maria Shriver.
“I think I’ve finally learned the biggest lesson of all. You’ve got to love yourself first. You’ve got to be OK on your own before you can be OK with somebody else. You’ve got to value yourself and know that you’re worth everything. And until you value yourself enough and love yourself enough to know that, you can’t really have a healthy relationship.”
– Jennifer Lopez on what it took for her to finally move on after her divorce from Marc Anthony in 2011.
“When I got divorced, I thought ‘Well, there goes my act.’ I’ve been talking about being married for so long — and I also thought being a dad was part of being married. And then I got divorced and everything changed, and I became a father in a whole new way and found a whole new set of difficulties.”
– Comedian Louis C.K. on how divorce helped him to become a better father.
“I’m not defined by this relationship. I wasn’t when I was in it, and I don’t want to be in the aftermath of it. And that’s really important to me. Let’s let everybody move on and live their lives, and hopefully everybody will be really happy.”
– Jennifer Aniston opened up about finding her post-divorce identity shortly after her marriage to actor Brad Pitt ended.
“I always say that it’s very important not to blame one person. You have to own whatever part of it you’re responsible for. It takes a lot of soul-searching. It’s important to go through that, because hopefully you won’t repeat yourself.”
– Reese Witherspoon opens up about letting go of blame following her 2006 split from first husband, Ryan Phillippe.
“You are strong and capable, and now you have been put in a position where you must use your capabilities to change your circumstances without your ex’s help or kindness.”
– Jada Pinkett Smith posted this advice on Facebook in response to a friend’s difficulties during divorce.
“I’m 43, and I’ve found my happiness — which is my kids.”
– Actor Will Arnett on his post-divorce life as a co-parent with ex-wife Amy Poehler.