Kim and Kanye: the ups and downs of power couple’s marriage, from Twitter rants to gifts of Birkin bags and Yeezy shares

When West proposed to Kardashian, he rented an oceanfront baseball stadium and presented her with a 15-carat Lorraine Schwartz ring, the first of many gifts

He professed his Christian faith but confessed he’d wanted her to abort North, the first of their four children. As his behaviour grew erratic she defended him

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As their nearly seven-year marriage comes to an end, here’s a look back on the relationship of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. Photo: Reuters

Published: 12:00am, 23 Feb 2021Updated: 12:00am, 23 Feb 2021

Holograms and Twitter rants, roving gospel gatherings, and billion-dollar business ventures. If there’s one word that defines the lives of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West, it’s “big”.

As their nearly seven-year marriage comes to an end, here’s a look back at the relationship of the rapper, Yeezy king and failed presidential candidate with the sex-tape survivor turned reality star who has a head for business and a passion for prison reform.

The lead-up

The two became pals after meeting in 2003, when Kardashian was an assistant to the pop star-actor Brandy and West was around to record a song. Brandy is the sister of Ray J, the guy who Kardashian had sex with in the leaked video that vaulted her from C-lister to one of the biggest celebrities of her generation.

West and Kardashian pose for wedding photos. Photo: @kimkardashian/Instagram

Kardashian and West publicly came out as dating in 2012. The oldest of their four children, North, was born in June 2013, not long after Kim’s divorce from Kris Humphries (her second husband) was finalised. The over-the-top Tuscan wedding, her third and his first, unfolded on May 24, 2014.

Before the wedding – which included pre-parties in Paris in France – there was the surprise proposal. West rented out the San Francisco Giants baseball team’s oceanfront stadium and presented Kardashian with a 15-carat Lorraine Schwartz ring (not the one later stolen during Kim’s infamous armed robbery in Paris).

West presented Kardashian with a 15-carat Lorraine Schwartz ring when he proposed to her. Photo: Getty Images

The ceremony

They sealed the deal at Belvedere Fort in Florence, Italy, the city where North was conceived. They paid US$410,000 to rent the place, built in 1590, a spokeswoman for the Florence mayor’s office said.