Love Lessons from Celebrities

Quickie Marriages, Drawn Out Divorces, and Paparazzi Everywhere

Sep 11, 2007 Cherie Burbach

How the stars' mistakes can help us in our own relationships.

A celebrity’s life may be glamorous, but it still shares the same struggles with love as the average person. Here are some famous relationship blunders and how we can learn from their example.

Celebrity: Britney Spears

Relationship Gaffe: A quickie marriage followed by an even quicker divorce.

In 2004, Britney Spears married her childhood pal Jason Alexander at The Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. According to several press reports, the two had been partying late into the night and decided on a whim to get married. Less than twelve hours later, the pair had their union annulled.

Love Lesson: Think carefully before making a rash decision to wed. Rushing to the aisle before you’re ready will lead to unnecessary cost and heartache, not to mention embarrassment. Finding the right person to wed takes time. If you marry on a whim, you’re only putting off the ability to meet someone perfect for you now.

Celebrity: Britney Spears (again)

Relationship Gaffe: Getting involved with someone who is already taken.

Later in 2004, Spears started dating Kevin Federline. She says she didn’t know it at the time, but Federline was still involved with Char Jackson. Still, after she found out, she married him anyway. The result was the beginning of a roller coaster marriage that included two quick pregnancies, accusations of mooching, and too much partying. Spears filed for divorce in November 2006. But the previous two years had taken their toll on the pop star.

Love Lesson: If someone if already involved, run from them. Individuals that start up relationships with a new love before ending the last one have a serious character flaw and could cause trouble for you down the road. If they weren’t honest with you to begin with, how can you expect them to respect and treat you well down the road?

Celebrities: Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson

Relationship Gaffe: Failure to leave and cleave.

Lachey and Simpson first met back in 1998, when Lachey was with the group 98 Degrees. They dated on and off, and married in 2002. It seemed like the fairytale romance. But immediately upon arriving home from their honeymoon, their new married life was being filmed for the MTV reality show, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica. The couple essentially had every tender and tumultuous moment recorded for all eyes to see. While the show gained in popularity, it become a problem for the marriage.

Love Lesson: When two people get married, they need time alone to bond together as a new family unit. The first three years of marriage are the most crucial; as couples learn how to leave their single lives behind and become a source of friendship and support for each other. Even the most well meaning family or friends can potentially interfere with a newlywed couple’s happiness when their relationship is still fresh and growing.

Celebrities: Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin

Relationship Gaffe: Parting without grace.

Basinger and Baldwin had a turbulent relationship from the start. They met on the aptly named movie The Marrying Man in 1991, and wed two years later. Rumors surfaced throughout their marriage about verbal tirades, temper tantrums, and public fights. Basinger filed for divorce from Baldwin after seven years of matrimony. Their divorce became a source of public accusations and finger pointing.

Love Lesson: Respect your relationship from the start. Save your knock down drag out fights for the privacy of your home. When you do argue, and you will, do it in a way that will actually lead you both toward resolution rather than widened differences. Don’t embarrass your partner while you are together, or if you should break up. Remember that you both got together because you cared for each other. Use that as a guide for how you treat one another.

The copyright of the article Love Lessons from Celebrities in Dating is owned by Cherie Burbach. Permission to republish Love Lessons from Celebrities in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Britney Spears has made bad relationship choices.	Spears married Jason Alexander too quickly.	K-Fed and Spears were wrong from the start.
Lachey and Simpson needed time alone.	Baldwin and Basinger shared extreme highs & lows.