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Film composer AR Rahman and his wife Saira Banu are calling it quits. The two-time Oscar winner—known for his music in the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire —and his wife of nearly three decades announced their divorce on Nov. 19, describing their breakup as a “fragile chapter” and citing an emotional toll as the reason for their relationship’s end.
"After many years of marriage, Saira and her husband A.R. Rahman have made the difficult decision to separate from each other,” the couple wrote in a joint statement shared on their lawyer Vandana Shah ’s Instagram .
“This decision comes after significant emotional strain in their relationship. Despite their deep love for each other, the couple has found that the tensions and difficulties have created an insurmountable gap between them, one that neither party feels able to bridge at this time." "Mrs.
Saira and her husband Mr. A R. Rahman request privacy and understanding from the public during this challenging time,” the statement continued, “as they navigate this difficult chapter in their life.
" For his part, AR shared further thoughts on social media, noting the couple—who married in 1995 and share son Ameen and daughters Khatija and Raheema —were just shy of marking 30 years of marriage. “We had hoped to reach the grand thirty, but all things, it seems, carry an unseen end,” the music composer wrote in a Nov. 19 post to X (formerly Twitter).
“Even the throne of God might tremble at the weight of broken hearts. Yet, in this shattering, we seek meaning, though the pieces may not find their place again.” Calling for space, he continued, “To our friends, thank you for your kindness and for respecting our privacy as we walk through this fragile chapter.
” The couple’s children all acknowledged their parents’ divorce on social media as well, sharing they want space to process the news. “We kindly request everyone to respect our privacy during this time,” Ameen, 21, wrote in a Nov. 19 Instagram Story .
“Thank you for your understanding." Khatija and Raheema shared the same statement , writing in separate Nov. 19 Instagram Stories , “I would greatly appreciate it if this matter could be treated with the utmost privacy & respect.
Thank you for your consideration.” Keep reading to see other celebrity breakups from 2024..
. Teddi Mellencamp & Edwin Arroyave The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum announced she and her husband of 13 years are divorcing . "After a great deal of care and consideration, I have made the difficult decision to file for divorce," Teddi—who shares kids Slate , 12, Cruz , 10, and Dove , 4, with Edwin—wrote on Instagram Nov.
2 . "My priority is my children and ensuring that every care is taken with their privacy and wellbeing throughout this new chapter." Lupita Nyongo & Joshua Jackson Less than a year after the Oscar winner was linked to the Dawson's Creek alum, she shared her single status —with the only guy in her life being her cat Yoyo.
“My love for my cat is singular," Lupita said in a Harper's Bazaar UK interview published Oct. 9. "If I'm ever so lucky to be in a romantic relationship again, it'll be because of him.
" Kristin Cavallari & Mark Estes The Hills alum revealed that she had ended her seven-month romance with the Montana Boyz member on Sept. 27, calling it "so fresh" during an appearance on Alex Cooper 's Unwell Tour. Kristin later said she broke things off because she "started to feel" their 13-year age gap and their relationship was "not right" in the long run.
"I just know long term he needs to experience life,” she explained on her Let’s Be Honest podcast. "I look back on when I was 24 and how much life has happened for me between then. Those are crucial years; those are formative years.
This is when you find yourself, and he needs to be able to do that." Nikki Garcia & Artem Chigvintsev The Total Bellas star called it quits with the Dancing With the Stars pro after he was arrested for domestic violence on Aug. 29 .
A rep for Nikki confirmed to E! News on Sept. 11 that the WWE Hall of Famer filed paperwork to divorce Artem—with whom she shares son Matteo —after two years of marriage. Victoria Monét & John Gaines On Sept.
23, the "On My Mama" singer and the fitness influencer—who share daughter Hazel —confirmed their split. "We spent the last 10 months trying to respectfully and privately navigate the fact that we are no longer in a relationship," they said in a joint social media statement. "Though we still completely adore and respect each other, we are not a couple anymore.
" Rachel Zoe & Rodger Berman The Rachel Zoe Project alums came "to the mutual decision to end our marriage" after 26 years , they announced on Instagram Sept. 9. "We are incredibly proud of the loving family we have created and our countless memories together," continued the couple, who share sons Skyler and Kaius .
"Our number one priority has been and will always be our children." Leah Remini & Angelo Pagan The King of Queens alum announced her breakup from the actor on Aug. 29, sharing on social media, "After 28 years together and 21 years of marriage, we have decided to file for divorce.
" "To put it simply, we both changed, as people do, and we got used to playing roles that didn’t fit us anymore," the statement read. "After a lot of effort and consideration, we’ve decided to take this step, which reflects who we are today. Our bond is still strong—it’s just evolved into something different.
" Judge Greg Mathis & Linda Mathis The TV judge—whose full name is Gregory Ellis Mathis Sr .—found himself facing a new ruling after his wife of 39 years filed for divorce in late August. Linda listed “irreconcilable differences” in court documents obtained by E! News, with her estranged husband later sharing that infidelity was "not the reason" they split .
"Neglect can create suspicion, certainly," he told TMZ in September. "If you're gone as much as I am, she has every right to suspect." Greg added, "Hopefully, I can show her while we're there together and hopefully, she doesn't complete the process.
I'm getting my wife back." Rumer Willis & Derek Richard Thomas Bruce Willis and Demi Moore 's daughter announced her split from the musician on Aug. 22, writing on Instagram Stories that she's "single momming it and coparenting" their babt daughter Louetta .
"I'm so grateful for Lou," the House Bunny actress added. "She is the best thing in my life and I'm forever grateful I was able to have the time in that relationship for her to come into my life." Joey Lawrence & Samantha Cope The Blossom alum's wife filed for divorce in August to end their two-year marriage.
In court documents obtained by E! News, she cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason split and asked the court to grant her full physical custody of their daughter Dylan , who was born on Jan. 16, 2023. Joey later addressed "claims of an affair" from the estranged husband of his Socked in for Christmas costar Melina Alves , saying in a social media statement the "the rumors are false.
" "Our bond was based on shared experiences and an understanding of the challenges we were both facing in our personal lives," he added. "At the time I met Melina, I was in the midst of a deeply troubled marriage." Jennifer Lopez & Ben Affleck The greatest love story never told came to an end in Aug.
20, when J.Lo officially filed for the divorce from the Oscar winner on the second anniversary of their Georgia wedding . In her filing, obtained by TMZ, she listed their date of separation as April 26, 2024.
Tommy Fury & Molly-Mae Hague The Love Island U.K. couple's relationship left the villa in August, when Molly-Mae confirmed that she and Tommy had called off their one-year engagement .
“After five years together, I never imagined our story would end, especially not this way," she wrote on Instagram Story, adding their daughter Bambi will be the "most important thing to me, now and always." Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird & Josh Efird Here comes a breakup for the Here Comes Honey Boo Boo star, who filed for divorce from her husband after six years of marriage. In court documents obtained by E! News Aug.
2, Lauryn said the two agreed on joint legal and physical custody of their daighter Ella , son Bentley and Sylus and Stella . Christina Haack & Josh Hall After less than three years of marriage, Josh filed for divorce from the Flip or Flop alum in July 2024. In the legal docs, Josh cited the reason behind the split as irreconcilable differences and the date of separation as July 8.
However, in Christina's own divorce filing , she listed their breakup date as July 7 . Cameron Mathison & Vanessa Mathison The General Hospital star and TV personality announced in July that they've made the "difficult decision" to break up after 22 years of marriage. Deon Derrico & Karen Derrico After 19 years of marriage, the stars of Doubling Down with the Derricos divorced in June .
“Together, we remain unified in the parenting of our 14 beautiful children—their well-being is our priority,” Deon and Karen shared in a statement to E! News. “We thank everyone for their understanding and support as we move forward for the good of our family.” Tianna Robillard & Cody Ford The TikTok star and Cincinnati Bengals guard—who had been together for over two years— called off their engagement after two months, wiping their respective social medias of their relationship.
"It’s over," Tianna explained in a June 12 TikTok . "It’s never going to be back together. That’s for damn sure.
” Charles Spencer & Karen Spencer Earl Spencer—who is the brother of the late Princess Diana —announced in June that he and Countess Spencer were divorcing after 13 years of marriage . "It is immensely sad," the author told The Mail on Sunday in a statement published June 8. "I just want to devote myself to all my children, and to my grandchildren, and I wish Karen every happiness in the future.
" Carly Lawrence & Bennett Sipes The reality TV stars parted ways , with Carly filing for divorce from the Love Island USA alum on June 10. Joe Jonas & Stormi Bree The Jonas Brothers singer and the model called it quits after five months of dating, multiple outlets reported by early June. Harry Styles & Taylor Russell The One Direction alum and the actress broke up after less than a year of dating, multiple outlets confirmed in May 2024.
Firerose & Billy Ray Cyrus Seven months after his wedding, the "Old Town Road" musician filed for divorce from Firerose (real name Johanna Rose Hodges ) in June, citing "inappropriate marital conduct" as one of the reasons for breakup. In court documents obtained by E! News, Billy Ray said his "consent to marriage was obtained by fraud" after the Australian singer allegedly lied to him about her previous marriage . They settled their divorce in August .
Dorit & PK Kemsley After weathering mulitple divorce rumors over the years, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star announced in May that she and PK have separated after nine years of marriage . "To safeguard our deep friendship and maintain a harmonious environment for our children we have made the mutual and difficult decision to take some time apart and reevaluate our relationship while we prioritize our children," Dorit—who shares son Jagger , 10, and 8-year-old daughter Phoenix , with PK—wrote in a May 9 Instagram post. We appreciate your love and support while we continue to do the work necessary throughout this journey.
" Gerry Turner & Theresa Nist The Golden Bachelor couple announced their decision to divorce on April 12, three months after tying the knot in a live, televised ceremony. "Theresa and I have had a number of heart-to-heart conversations," Gerry said during a joint appearance on Good Morning America , "and we've looked closely at our situation, our living situation, so forth and we've come to the conclusion mutually that it's probably time for us to dissolve our marriage." Natalie Portman & Bejamin Millepied Nearly one year after privately separating, Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied finalized their divorce in March 2024 after 11 years of marriage.
Tori Spelling & Dean McDermott The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum, who split from Dean in June 2023, officially filed for divorce on March 29 after nearly 18 years of marriage. Tori—who shares kids Liam , 17, Stella , 15, Hattie , 12, Finn , 11, and Beau , 7, with Dean—requested sole physical custody and joint legal custody of their kids in her filing. Chelsea Lazkani & Jeff Lazkani After nearly seven years of marriage, the Selling Sunset star filed for divorce from her husband, according to court documents obtained by TMZ .
The real estate agent—who shares kids Maddox , 5, and Melia , 3, with Jeff—cited irreconcilable differences as the official reasoning for her filing. Gypsey Rose Blanchard & Ryan Anderson In April, Gypsy Rose Blanchard filed for divorce from her estranged husband Ryan Anderson after nearly two years of marriage. Their breakup came just three months after Gypsy's release from prison.
Jax Taylor & Brittany Cartwright After four years of marriage, the Vanderpump Rules alums, who share son Cruz , announced their separation . "Yes, marriages in general are very hard and I've had a particularly rough year this past year," she shared during the Feb. 29 episode of their podcast When Reality Hits .
"Jax and I are taking time apart and I made the decision to move into another home to take some space for the sake of my mental health." Porsha Williams & Simon Guobadia The Real Housewives of Atlanta star filed for divorce from the businessman in February after just 15 months of marriage..
