Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony announce divorce
After seven years of marriage, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony announced their divorce in a joint statement this month. “We have decided to end our marriage,” the couple declared in the statement. “This was a very difficult decision. We have come to an amicable conclusion on all matters,” the statement continued. Lopez and Anthony are the parents of three-year-old twins.
Lopez and Anthony dated briefly during the 1990s, became long-time friends, and even appeared in music videos together. Their friendship turned into a romantic relationship in early 2004, just two months after Lopez and actor Ben Affleck ended their engagement. Meanwhile, Anthony was separated from his wife, former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres. On June 5, 2004, Lopez and Anthony married in a quiet home wedding, only four days after Anthony’s divorce from Torres.
Nevertheless, Lopez and Anthony’s divorce announcement is not a surprise. Many even expected this outcome. Rumors of divorce surrounded the couple in 2008, when Lopez attended the premiere of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” without Anthony and without her wedding ring. Even though the couple performed together at the 2011 “American Idol” final, many people observed that their show lacked the chemistry of past presentations together.
Rumors increased this month when Lopez took her mother, Guadalupe, as her date to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts gala, where they meet Prince William and Duchess Kate. Two things missing at the BAFTA gala were Lopez’s husband, Anthony, and her wedding ring. Reports circulating in the Internet attribute Anthony’s excessive jealousy and temper to the reason behind the split.
So far, the couple has characterized their split as an amicable one. However, the couple will need to resolve several important issues in order for their divorce to be finalized, including marital property division, child support and child custody.
Source: USA Today, “Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony call it quits,” Olivia Barker, 15 July 2011
