Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary expressing the utmost optimism.
"There is not enough words to describe what this incredibly selfless dedicated, patient, woman has meant to our lives and I only wish they could be another 25!" Stallone wrote on Instagram May 17. On her end, Flavin noted, "Our marriage keeps getting better every year! I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together."
Instead, she filed for divorce in August. (And deleted that anniversary post.)
"I love my family," Stallone stated Aug. 24. "We are amicably and privately addressing these personal issues." He's shared nothing but glowing sentiments about the mother of his three daughters since, and that somewhat cryptic first comment has led hopeful fans to wonder if perhaps their differences are reconcilable. (And his anniversary sentiments remain live.)
Still, what a jarring reminder that even the long celebrity marriages we tend to treat as givens could go at any time.
Basically, as years go by you just get used to certain people being together, which is why every time a famous couple with a two-digit anniversary calls it quits, it can feel like an affront to love itself.
Because when the latest hot duo break up after a few months and then relationship mitosis leads to them becoming halves of two more hot couples, and so on, you can chalk it up to those people just not being right for each other in the long run.
But what if there's already been a long run? Was most of that time happy and then it just wasn't—or is the opposite the case, and signing those papers calls for champagne?
For our very scientific purposes, celebrities have provided all sorts of specimens for observation, and here's a sampling of couples who parted ways after decades, for whatever reason: