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The “Oscars love curse”: all the relationships destroyed by an Academy Award win

It's all fun and games and happily ever after, until someone wins an Academy Award!
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There may be an Oscars love curse plaguing our favourite celebrity couples and we’re not sure our hearts can take it.

Berlin-based couples therapist, Diana Boettcher, has pointed out an interesting trend in Hollywood relationships. According to her analysis of the past 11 years, 36 per cent of those winning Best Actor in a Leading Role had a relationship break-down soon after the win. While, 27 per cent of of those winning Best Actress in a Leading Role, separated from their partners shortly after lifting the trophy.

“Being a high achiever in Hollywood, or indeed in any profession, does not necessarily come with success in relationships,” explains Boettcher.

“A successful career often stands in the way of relationship success. Hollywood may be a world of its own but when it comes to relationships, the stars are just like any of us.”

Interestingly, those up for the Best Actor or Actress in a Supporting Role were more likely to stay in their relationships. Over the past 11 years, only one actress separated after winning the award.

So, grab the tissues and take a look at the A-list relationships that fell victim to the Oscars love curse.

Sandra Bullock

Sandra Bullock and Jesse James.

In 2010, just one month after Sandra Bullock won the Best Actress Academy Award for her stellar role in The Blind Side, she filed for divorce from her husband Jesse James.

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult.

Jennifer Lawrence had been nominated for an Academy Award three times before winning the Best Actress gong for Silver Linings Playbook in 2013. But the win came at a price. Jen and her boyfriend actor Nicholas Hoult broke-up shortly after the ceremony. They then rekindled their relationship for a brief time before splitting again in 2014.

Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes.

Oscars veteran Kate Winslet was presented the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film adaption of German novel The Reader in 2009 and by 2010, Kate and her director husband Sam Mendes had split.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kelly Rohrbach.

It was a long and drawn out wait for Leo who seemed to be always the nominee, never the winner until he finally received the Academy’s tick of approval for his grueling role in The Revenant. At the time of winning the golden statue for Best Actor, Leo was dating Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Kelly Rohrbach. The pair parted ways shortly after the awards.

Sean Penn

Sean Penn and Robin Wright.

Actor Sean Penn and actress Robin Wright were for 14 years when Sean won the Best Actor Academy Award for his role in bipoic Milk in 2009. The couple divorced in that same year, despite surviving Sean’s previous Academy Award win in 2004 for crime drama Mystic River.

Will these couples survive the Oscars love curse?

…we hope so! We’d be heartbroken to see newly-married couples, Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley, and Gary Oldman and Gisele Schmidt, go their separate ways should Margot or Gary take home a golden statue at the 2018 Oscars.

Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley.

Aussie actress Margot Robbie is nominated for her first Academy Award for her impressive portrayal of US Olympic ice-skater Tonya Harding in the film I, Tonya. She and her husband Tom Ackerley married in 2016.

Gary Oldman Gisele Schmidt.

Gary Oldman and his wife Gisele Schmidt married just last year. Gary is nominated for Best Actor at the 90th Academy Awards for his role in Darkest Hour.

Frances McDormand and Joel Cohen.

We have high hopes for Best Actress nominee Frances McDormand and her husband, one part of the Cohen Brothers, Joel Cohen who have been married since 1984. Frances has received her first Academy Awards nomination for her leading role in the film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

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