When 26-year-old Crystal Harris called off her engagement to 86-year-old Hugh Hefner five days before their planned wedding in 2010, no one was surprised. But then, they reconciled and married right away. Other celebrity couples aren’t always so lucky. These celebrity couples could have happy families, but perhaps they were not meant to be together.
1. Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow
At 21, Gwyneth Paltrow was a newcomer in the movies when she met superstar Brad Pitt on the sets of their movie Se7en. The two hit it off and announced that their wedding would be in the summer of 1997. While many thought that a Hollywood nobody like Gwyneth was lucky to snag a superstar, she broke it off shortly before the wedding. She believed she was too young for a lifelong commitment.
2. Julia Roberts and Kiefer Sutherland
In Runaway Bride, Julia Roberts plays a serial heartbreaker who gets skittish and literally runs away from the altar. What she did with Kiefer Sutherland wasn’t as dramatic. She broke up with him 3 days before the ceremony. Kiefer Sutherland later said that he had nothing but praise for what Julia did because they were too young to realize then that they were mismatched.
3. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck
In 2002, the media worked itself into a frenzy over “Bennifer” (Ben Affleck and Jennifer). They had a hit music video together called Jenny from the Block and a movie that completely bombed: Gigli. They were in love and were set to marry in September 2003. Ben even got Jennifer a $1.2 million ring with a pink diamond. Shortly before the wedding, though, word got out that Ben cheated on Jennifer with a stripper. Jennifer said in interviews that she was heartbroken, and called it off.
4. Demi Moore and Emilio Estevez
Demi and Emilio had a hit movie together: St. Elmo’s Fire. While they didn’t play a couple in the movie, there were sparks in real life. Emilio directed and starred in the cult classic Wisdom and had Demi play his love interest. Shortly before the wedding, they decided they were too volatile for each other and called it off. They’ve been friends ever since, though.
5. Sheryl Crow and Lance Armstrong
Sheryl and Lance began dating in 2003 and announced their engagement 2 years later. It was only after their engagement that they realized that they weren’t in the same place in life. All she wanted was a family right away, while he wanted to take it easy. In 2006, Sheryl called it off.
While some believe that the cause was simple disagreement about their aims in life, a book by two Wall Street Journal reporters called Wheelmen: Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France and the Greatest Sports Conspiracy Ever implies that the real problem was that Sheryl saw Lance Armstrong doping and told the Feds.
More: Remember When?! 8 Celeb Couples You Totally Forgot About
6. Marilyn Manson and Evan Rachel Wood
Goth rocker Marilyn Manson and actress Evan Rachel Wood were together between 2006 and 2008. After they broke up, though, they rekindled their relationship in 2010. At a concert in Paris, Manson proposed to her on stage. Their engagement didn’t last, though. By the end of the year, they were off again.
7. Jude Law and Sienna Miller
The two British actors had been dating for 2 years and were engaged for a short time. In 2005, Sienna found out that Jude had an affair with the nanny who took care of his children. She called off the wedding. A few years later in 2009, they thought they could make it work again. But they decided against it in 2011.
8. Tara Reid and Carson Daly
The starlet and the TV host dated in the late 90s and were engaged in the year 2000. They planned to wed in the summer of 2001. It was Tara who developed cold feet. She called it off mere days before the wedding, in July 2001.
9. Alec Baldwin and Janine Turner
The two actors were engaged to marry in 1983. As they got close to the wedding, though, Alec decided to break up with Janine. He simply got cold feet. Anyway, it was a beautiful couple most of us never forget.
10. Katie Holmes and Chris Klein
Before Katie Holmes met Tom Cruise, she dated actor Chris Klein. It was early days for their careers at that time. After an engagement that lasted years, Katie decided that they weren’t right for each other. Only months later, she began to date Tom Cruise.
More: 10 Beautiful Celebrity Couples Who Eloped
Nothing’s for certain in life – even if you are a rich, beautiful and successful person whose talent is celebrated around the world. You simply take life as it comes. Celebrities have the right to make mistakes too, albeit they probably know the consequences.