18 Celebrity Couples Who Broke Up and Became Even Closer and Dearer to Each Other Than Before

Over the course of a long relationship, people often find themselves mirroring each other in different aspects of their lives. They develop common friendships, hobbies and lifestyles. In addition, couples may raise children together, creating another bond between them.

It’s not surprising, then, that some ex-lovers maintain a strong friendship even after separating, given the many common interests they have cultivated. With this in mind, we have decided to take a look at celebrity couples who have maintained their friendship after parting ways.

Heidi Klum and Seal

Heidi Klum and Seal, who have three children together and were married for seven years, decided to split in 2012. Following their divorce, the co-parents have been seen dining together and even worked together when Heidi Klum invited Seal to be a guest judge on America’s Got Talent. During the show, Klum lovingly referred to him as her favourite singer.

Mindy Kaling and BJ Novak

Over a decade ago, Mindy Kaling and BJ Novak crossed paths on the set of The Office and had an on-and-off romantic relationship for several years. Today, they are widely known for their exceptionally close friendship. “I will freely admit: My relationship with B.J. Novak is weird as hell,” Kaling said. “He is not my boyfriend, but he is not my best friend. I guess you could describe our relationship as a ’romantically charged camaraderie with loud arguments,’ but I don’t think Facebook would accept this as a new status.”

They frequently express their admiration for each other on social media and collaborate on numerous projects.

Mike Comrie and Hilary Duff

Hockey athlete Mike Comrie and actress Hilary Duff, who have a son together, were in a partnership for a few years before getting married in 2010. Despite this, in 2015, Duff started the process of getting a divorce.

Nevertheless, they have been seen spending time together as a family with their son, even going on trips together. In 2017, Duff, who is presently married to musician Matthew Koma, revealed to Cosmopolitan magazine that the relationship between her and her former husband remains strong, “We’re so ingrained in each other’s lives. I wouldn’t choose anyone else to co-parent with. We are really good friends and care a lot about each other.”

Lisa Bonet and Jason Momoa

Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet announced their separation after being together for 16 years and married for 4. The couple had never been involved in any public scandals, and they decided to split with dignity.

Despite the divorce, they continue to love each other and remain a family. Jason is also on friendly terms with Lisa’s eldest child Zoë Kravitz. They appear on red carpet events together. As for his ex-wife, he says, “We’re not getting back together. We’re family forever.”

Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt

Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt were one of the most beautiful couples in Hollywood in the early aughts. The celebrities went their separate ways in 2005, but they said they continued to love each other. For all these years, they have remained good friends. After the divorce from Jolie, tabloids repeatedly linked Pitt romantically with Aniston, but the actress says they are just buddies.

It seems that Jennifer likes to stay friends with her exes. Her other ex-husband Justin Theroux, for example, also remains her close friend. He says that despite the fact that they can’t be together, they still bring each other joy and friendship.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin

Many years after the divorce, the ex-spouses Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin feel more like relatives than former lovers. The actress thinks of her ex-husband as a brother, and they consider themselves one big family, despite the fact that each of them has found happiness with another person.

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck

According to Ben Affleck, sometimes a marriage simply doesn’t work out, and it’s nobody’s fault. This is what happened between him and Jennifer Garner who were together for 10 years. But this doesn’t mean that they didn’t love and respect each other all this time.

After the divorce, Affleck and Garner still spend a lot of time together because they have 3 children together. The actress speaks warmly about her ex-husband, calling him the love of her life, but who also has a difficult character. Moreover, the actress befriended J.Lo for a good relationship with her ex-spouse.

Madonna and Sean Penn

Before the wedding, Madonna mentioned that Sean Penn’s temperament was very similar to hers. They were like siblings, having similar views of life. The couple got married in 1985, and soon Madonna realized that she was mistaken—their views on their future together differed a lot. The actor was insanely jealous of her which made her distance herself from him. Eventually, the celebrities divorced in 1989.

Years have passed but the couple continues to remain good friends. They often appear at different events together. In the 1991 documentary about Madonna’s life, the singer was asked to name the love of her life. She whispered one single word, “Sean.” The actor also says that he still loves his ex-wife.

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon

Mariah Carey’s ex-husband Nick Cannon says that their split didn’t change his feelings for his ex-spouse. He still loves her unconditionally and is grateful to her for their children. The couple broke up in 2014 after 6 years of marriage. According to their friends, the ex-spouses managed to build a good, friendly relationship which helps them to raise their children together.

Elizabeth Hurley and Hugh Grant

Elizabeth Hurley and Hugh Grant also managed to remain close after their split. Grant even became the godfather of Elizabeth’s son.

According to the actress, this is quite logical because they went through a lot during their 13-year marriage including poverty and living in a tiny apartment. And such things make you closer, according to Grant. By the way, when he’s asked about his feelings for Hurley, he replies that they are like siblings.

Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas

Melanie Griffith often posts photos of her ex-husband, Antonio Banderas, on her Instagram. They were together for 18 years and remained close even after their breakup. Banderas calls his ex-wife his best friend. After the divorce, he continues to be on friendly terms with his stepdaughter, Dakota Johnson, often being her date on the red carpet. Besides, Melanie and Antonio have a daughter together: Stella.

The actor speaks warmly about his life with Griffith. In an interview, he said, “Even if we are divorced, she is my family and I will love her until the day I die.”

Diane Kruger and Joshua Jackson

Diane Kruger and Joshua Jackson were together for 10 years, from 2006 to 2016. Now each of them is happy with another partner: Diane and The Walking Dead star, Norman Reedus, have a child together, and Joshua is married to Jodie Turner-Smith, and they also had a daughter together in 2020. But the former lovers continue to stay close, admiring each other’s achievements.

Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum

Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum used to be friends before they tied the knot in 2009. And they continued to be friends after they decided to split in 2019. They stayed close for the sake of their daughter Everly. Besides, the celebrities continue to support each other. For example, when tabloids spoke negatively about her ex-husband, she immediately stood up to defend him.

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony

And this is another couple who started their relationship as friends and continued to be friends after it was over. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony got married in 2004 and soon had twins. 8 years later, the couple divorced but showed the world that they were not going to be apart for long. They kept their divorce civil and didn’t fight over their children’s custody. They even appeared together on a TV show.

This couple has become the picture of friendly exes. Marc and Jennifer are now best friends, they raise children together and record songs together. According to their Instagram pages, the ex-spouses also spend a lot of time together.

Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr

Miranda Kerr jokingly calls Bloom her brother, and quite an annoying brother. For the sake of their child, the ex-spouses built one big family. Bloom became friends with Kerr’s current husband, Snapchat co-founder and CEO Evan Spiegel, and Miranda grew close to Orlando’s partner, Katy Perry. The couples celebrate all important milestones together, often appearing on each other’s Instagram pages.

Courteney Cox and David Arquette

Courteney Cox and David Arquette realized that they were just great friends while still being married. This is why their decision to divorce was mutual. And, of course, they stayed close because they had a child together. In an interview, Arquette revealed the secret of their peaceful separation. According to him, “when you love someone, you want them to be happy, even if it’s not with you.”

Demi Moore and Bruce Willis

Ex-spouses Demi Moore and Bruce Willis managed to remain good friends. The actress often posts his photos on her Instagram, and his current wife leaves funny comments under them. Both women consider each other part of the family because their daughters are sisters—Willis and Moore have 3 daughters together, and he and Emma Heming have 2 daughters.

Demi and Bruce divorced in 2000 after 13 years of marriage, and they have tried to do all of the family events together ever since. According to them, when 2 people have children, their friendship should continue.

Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev

Nina and Ian were together for around three years before they split up in 2013. Sometime later, Somerhalder tied the knot with actress Nikki Reed, and they had a child in 2017. Dobrev and Ian have remained close friends, and in an interview, actress mentioned that she does not see anything strange about the friendship between her, Somerhalder, and Reed.

“Why can’t everyone be friends? I think that they have a beautiful baby, and they are happy and so am I, and what’s bad about that? I don’t see any problem with that,” she said.

Breaking up is always tough, no matter what the history between the couple. Often, after many years together, they may feel as though they are no longer aligned. Ideally, this choice will bring joy and serenity to both persons engaged instead of causing animosity or hostility.