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https://scmp.com/news/world/article/1457918/actress-gwyneth-paltrow-and-rocker-chris-martin-consciously-uncouple
World

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow and rocker Chris Martin ‘consciously uncouple’

Iron Man actress and front man from Coldplay announce separation after 11 years of marriage

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin in January. Photo: AP

Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay front man Chris Martin have announced their separation, signalling the end of the A-list couple's 11-year marriage.

In a statement entitled "Conscious Uncoupling" posted on Tuesday on Paltrow's lifestyle website Goop.com the stars said they had decided to "remain separate" after battling unsuccessfully to save their marriage over the past year.

"It is with hearts full of sadness that we have decided to separate," said the couple, who moved back to Los Angeles recently after spending several years in London.

"We have been working hard for well over a year, some of it together, some of it separated, to see what might have been possible between us, and we have come to the conclusion that, while we love each other very much, we will remain separate."

Paltrow, 41, and Martin, 37, have two young children, Apple, nine, and Moses, seven, and appealed for privacy.

Soon after the statement went online, Goop.com crashed for several hours after being overwhelmed with visitors.

Paltrow, who co-stars in the billion-dollar blockbuster Iron Man movies, won a best actress Oscar in 1999 for her role in Shakespeare in Love.

Their marriage has been the subject of tabloid speculation for years, with reports as recently as February indicating that Martin was unhappy at the couple's move to Los Angeles late last year.

In an interview in June, Paltrow hinted at strains.

"It's hard being married," Paltrow said.

"You go through great times, you go through terrible times. We're the same as any couple.

"I asked my Dad once: 'How did you and [Mom] stay married for 33 years?' And he said: 'Well, we never wanted to get divorced at the same time.' And I think that's what happens.

"When two people throw in the towel at the same time, then you break up, but if one person's saying 'come on, we can do this,' you carry on."

Paltrow and Martin reportedly met backstage at a Coldplay concert in 2002 after the singer asked an assistant to arrange a meeting with her.

British singer Martin founded Coldplay with a university friend in 1996 and the band enjoyed huge critical acclaim with their first two albums Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head.