Gwyneth Paltrow’s split from her husband of ten years, Chris Martin, has rekindled speculation that last year was burning like wildfire.
Paltrow’s fierce response to a Vanity Fair article that purported to examine the hate/love-fest that surrounds her, emailing her celebrity friends and recommending that they never “do” the magazine again, created a sensation in itself. As Vanity Fair’s editor Grayden Carter wrote, “the extreme ferocity of Paltrow’s outrage set off alarm bells throughout the dark regions of the celebrity-mining industry. The overall theory: she must have something to hide.”
As conjecture snowballed and the unpublished article reached mythic proportions and became billed as an “epic” Gwyneth Paltrow “takedown”, rumours and theories involving extra-marital affairs and public feuds engulfed the Oscar-winning actress.
This latest news about the couple’s separation has been leapt upon as evidence that something is indeed rotten in the state of Denmark. Here is a rundown of the innuendo, frenemy stoushes and diva antics that have encircled Gwyneth Paltrow.
Diva | Vanity Fair’s editor, Grayden Carter, accused Paltrow of over-reacting to their story, writing “She asked that (her show-business friends) not speak to Vanity Fair about her, or about anything else ever again. Ever. Never. Kim Jong-un couldn’t have issued a more blanket demand.
Rumour: Jeff Soffer
Rumour | It was widely speculated that the Vanity Fair article would expose an alleged affair between Paltrow and billionaire Miami hotelier and Elle Macpherson’s new husband, Jeff Soffer in 2008.
Frenemy
Frenemy | Hollywood BFFs Winona Ryder and Gwyneth fell out after Paltrow gazumped Ryder for the lead role in Shakespeare in Love and consequently won an Oscar. Following Ryder’s arrest for shoplifting, Paltrow wrote on her blog that she relished the humiliation that had come to an unnamed frenemy who was “hellbent on taking (her) down”, widely interpreted as a dig at Ryder.
Frenemy: Madonna
Frenemy | Madonna and Paltrow’s decade-long friendship came to an end due to a rift involving their separate fitness empires. Madonna is said to have snubbed Paltrow at the Met Gala last year and Paltrow made thinly veiled comments to British Vogue, saying “I can ice people out and I can definitely harbour revenge. In fact, I’m having a situation right now with a friend where I’m feeling pretty angry.”
Rumour: Kevin Yorn
Rumour | Soon before the announcement that Paltrow and her husband of ten years, Chris Martin, were separating, Paltrow’s representatives were forced to deny reports that she had been having an affair with entertainment lawyer Kevin Yorn.
Frenemy: Kate Moss
Frenemy | During a star-studded four-day party at a luxury resort, Paltrow and Moss had a run-in on the beach. “Oi, what you out jogging for?” bullied Moss. “So I don’t look like you when I get old” Paltrow shot back, prompting Moss to hurl a handful of chips at the actress and scream “Why don’t you eat some f**king carbs!”
Diva
Diva | Paltrow has copped criticism for subjecting her children to her strict no-carb no-wheat diet even admitting that it sometimes leaves her kids “with that specific hunger.”
Diva | Paltrow’s cookbook It’s All Good, which advocated a $300-a-day meal plan, was slammed by critics and labelled a “Bible of laughable Hollywood neuroticism” by The Atlantic Wire and a “manifesto to some sort of creepy healthy-girl sorority” by the New York Post.
Diva
Diva | Paltrow was criticised after her GOOP website featured spring wardrobe “essentials” that added up to $458,003. For “a night in with guests” she suggests a maxi skirt that costs $1,615 and for “lounging around on the weekend” silk Chloe pants that cost $1,695.
Rumour: John Hannah
Rumour | Following the sudden break-up from her fiancé Brad Pitt, Paltrow was accused of cheating on him with her Sliding Doors co-star John Hannah.
Frenemy: Jennifer Lopez
Frenemy | Jennifer Lopez, who was engaged to Ben Affleck after his split from Paltrow, said dismissively in a magazine interview that she could not remember any of Paltrow’s films. Paltrow soon found a reason to say during an interview “I do not want to be married for six months and then say, ‘Oh well, never mind, on to number two’”, apparently referring to Lopez’s brief marriages.
Frenemy: Martha Stewart
Frenemy | Paltrow’s GOOP website and recipe books sparked a rivalry with the original lifestyle guru, Martha Stewart. Paltrow complained when Stewart left her book launch party early and Stewart has spoken with contempt about Paltrow’s foray into her turf, saying “I think I started this whole category!” and “Lifestyle coach? … You have to live to be a coach.”
Rumour
Rumour | Paltrow was accused of cheating on Ben Affleck with Viggo Mortensen.
Frenemy
Frenemy | Paltrow was quoted by Harper’s Bazaar magazine as saying, “I won’t do Botox again, because I looked crazy. I looked like Joan Rivers!”. After laughing it off, Rivers went tit for tat, saying “[Lying about having work done] is such a put down to women. It says to the average woman, ‘I’m beautiful naturally and you’re not.’”
Diva
Diva | It has been reported that at Paltrow’s gym, before showering, “Gwyneth makes someone go into the stall and wipe the entire shower dry” and that she demands that a stock of Smart Water is kept for her.
Rumour: Matthew Morrison
Rumour | When Paltrow did a guest stint on Glee in 2011, there were rumors that she grew to become more than friends with co-star Matthew Morrison.
Diva: False image
Diva | The New York Times accused Paltrow of hiring a ghostwriter, Julia Turshen, for her cookbook, My Father’s Daughter, but Paltrow denies it, saying she “wrote every word” herself.
Frenemy
Frenemy | Paltrow gave Reese Witherspoon a back-handed compliment when she was quoted as saying “Even actresses that you really admire, like Reese Witherspoon, you think, ‘Another romantic comedy?’ You see her in something like Walk the Line and think, ‘God, you’re so great!’ And then you think, ‘Why is she doing these stupid romantic comedies?’ But of course, it’s for money and status.”
Diva
Diva | Paltrow raised eyebrows when she told Jonathan Ross on his program, “I’d rather smoke crack than eat cheese from a can.”