Gwyneth Paltrow<\/a> has a lot to answer for, and I\u2019m not talking about her top tip about vagina steam cleaning. In 2014, when announcing her split from Chris Martin<\/a>, her husband of ten years, Paltrow released a statement in which she coined the phrase \u2018conscious uncoupling<\/a>\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n Paltrow wrote, \u201cIt is with hearts full of sadness that we have decided to separate. We have been working hard for well over a year\u2026and we have come to the conclusion that while we love each other very much we will remain separate.<\/span>\u00a0We hope that as we consciously uncouple and coparent, we will be able to continue in the same manner.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n This marked the beginning of a cringeworthy cultural movement, one which has now evolved into a game of extreme one-upmanship in the Happy Celebrity Divorce stakes. <\/span><\/p>\n Who can be happier and more full of love before, during and after their split than Martin and Paltrow? As one of my friends once pointed out, \u201cI hope one day I can be in a relationship as happy as that divorce\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n The latest in a long line of offenders is Justin Theroux, the former husband of Jennifer Aniston. He told the New York Times<\/a> during the course of one interview that their divorce, which happened earlier this year, was variously \u201cgentle\u201d, \u201camicable\u201d and even \u201cboring\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n Promoting new Netflix series Maniac<\/a>, Theroux told the paper, \u201cThe good news is that it was probably the most \u2014 I\u2019m choosing my words really carefully \u2014 it was kind of the most gentle separation, in that there was no animosity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He added, \u201cAgain, neither one of us is dead, neither one of us is looking to throw hatchets at each other. It\u2019s more like, it\u2019s amicable. It\u2019s boring, but, you know, we respected each other enough that it was as painless as it could be\u2026The friendship is shifting and changing, you know, so that part is something that we\u2019re both very proud of.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Famous couples are less regularly taking one another to the cleaners (although see Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie for tips on how to do that in epic style<\/a>) and more often \u00a0\u201cgrowing\u201d or \u201clearning from each other\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n This week Made in Chelsea stars Binky Felstead and Josh \u2018JP\u2019 Patterson announced that they would be splitting, three years after they met on the Channel 4 reality show and one year since having a baby together. In their statement they were keen to describe just how wonderful their break up had been.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere are no secrets and no one has been hurt in any way,\u201d they said. \u201cWe now move forward with love, friendship & a deep respect for one another and the family we are 100% committed to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Magic Mike actor Channing Tatum and his wife Jenna Dewan were regularly touted on gossip sites as \u2018major couple goals\u2019. But their split was even more aspirational. <\/span>\u201cWe have lovingly chosen to separate as a couple,\u201d they said in April.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe fell deeply in love so many years ago and have had a magical journey together. Absolutely nothing has changed about how much we love one another, but love is a beautiful adventure that is taking us on different paths for now. There are no secrets nor salacious events at the root of our decision \u2014 just two best-friends realising it\u2019s time to take some space and help each other live the most joyous, fulfilled lives as possible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n These idealistic statements run the risk of making a mockery of what we all know: b<\/span>reak ups are crap, messy and almost impossible to do without a hefty dose of sarcasm, rage or immaturity along the way. They also\u00a0<\/span>add weight to the plebeian feeling of inadequacy which is regularly hoisted upon us: celebrities do everything better than us \u2013 even divorce.<\/span><\/p>\n However, there is an argument that this farcical arrangement could actually be having a wider effect for the better. The Wall Street Journal<\/a> reported this weekend that, inspired by Paltrow and Martin\u2019s Conscious Uncoupling, more and more couples are trying less acrimonious ways to divorce.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/jpress\/image\/fetch\/c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/https:\/\/inews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/gwynchrisnew.jpg\")
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\u201cGentle\u201d, \u201camicable\u201d and \u201cboring\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Growing and learning<\/h3>\n
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Idealism<\/h3>\n
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