Their shock split last week proved that the seemingly smooth relationship between Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony had in fact been rocky for quite some time.
The UK’s Daily Mail reports that although in the public eye they seemed like a loved-up couple some people close to the pair were not surprised by the announcement that their seven-year romance had ended.
“This is not a surprise,” J-Lo’s stylist Phillip Bloch.
“Marc is very controlling. In the beginning she liked that because he stood up to her, and in the early days he was very much in love with her and she was with him.”
The couple, who are parents to three-year-old twins Max and Emme, released a statement on Friday, July 15.
“We have decided to end our marriage,” the couple said in a statement.
“This was a very difficult decision. We have come to amicable conclusion on all matters. It is a painful time for all involved and we appreciate the respect of our privacy at this time.”
The pair, who have been friends for years after dating briefly in the 1990s before marrying in 2004, reportedly broke up just before they were set to meet royal couple Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
J-Lo attended the event with her mother instead of her husband and was not wearing her wedding ring.
During his first public appearance since the pair’s split, Marc Anthony, 42, hit the stage in Colombia where he joked with the crowd about the break-up.
“They’re saying I’m single,” he said during his concert.
Throughout the show he blew kisses to adoring fans in the crowd telling one, “you’re so beautiful.”
Reports have emerged that the pair’s split was due to their differing work commitments and their disagreement over where their family should live.
J-Lo, who was considering whether she will return as a judge to American Idol next year, is set to star in two movies in 2012, one of which involves a nude scene which reportedly sparked a disagreement between her and her soon-be ex-husband.
Reports also emerged that J-Lo had had an affair with Cuban male model William Levy who starred alongside her in her new video clip for I’m Into You.
But he has denied any romantic connection to the pop-star through a spokesman who told TMZ: “The only relationship there was or is, is a professional relationship. That’s all there’s ever been.”
Despite the split the pair’s planned fashion line will continue to go ahead.