The $ 250 million divorce drama

With Katie Holmes filing for divorce from superstar Tom Cruise over reported reasons of seeking freedom from her “controlling” husband and sole custody of their daughter Suri, the celebrity divorce circus has officially begun.
With pre-nups and alimony negotiations set to go on for weeks now, speculations will be rife. What we can tell you is that the trend of separating and coming into a lot of money is nothing more than a multi-million business.No marriage, seemingly, lasts forever in Hollywood.
As far as the Tom-Katie separation goes, one of the major reasons that drove them apart was parenting styles. Katie wants Suri to go to school with other children and have a grounded routine whereas Tom wants her schooled in the same manner as his adopted children Connor and Isabella were. Tom basically treats Suri as a little adult, however Katie treats her like a six-year-old child, and that causes some major clashes over parenting style. Katie also wants primary custody of Suri. The other was Cruise’s strong ties to Scientology. This is Tom’s third divorce. He first split from Mimi Rogers, then Nicole Kidman.
Biggest Payout For An Unmarried Couple
Johnny Depp is paying former lover Vanessa Paradis up to 100 million pounds, in one of the biggest pay-offs involving an unmarried couple. Depp, 49, who is worth more than $156.8 million, and French singer and actress Paradis, 39, announced they were splitting after months of denials. They have been together for 14 years but never tied the knot.
Tom-Kat apart, here are other recent costly celebrity divorce cases in Hollywood...
Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore
Married for: 7 years
Settlement: $145 million each
Reported/ rumoured reasons: Insiders close to Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher reveal that the actor’s cheating was only the tip of the iceberg in their split. The couple was dealing with his wandering eye as well as her insecurities with their
15-year age difference.
Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries
Married for: 72 days
Settlement : A $ 7 million offering to Kris from Kim is in process
Reported/ rumoured reasons: According to some reports, Kim dumped Kris over money! According to an insider Kris told her he wouldn’t be pulling in $20 million a year and that deflated things for her. According to some reports the marriage was a publicity stunt. Some sources also revealed that Kris wanted his new bride to settle down with him in Minnesota, and Kim just couldn't imagine a life where she would not be in the limelight.
Seal and Heidi Klum
Married for: 7 years
Settlement: $35 million
Reported/rumoured reasons: Weeks before the official separation, friends revealed how Seal was partying a lot more often than usual. Heidi, on the other hand, was usually at home with the kids. While there was no direct cheating involved, sources speculated that Seal’s clubbing would often end up with him stepping out with a PYT on his arm. The cracks were appearing and it was only time before they actually split.
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony
Married for: 7 years
Settlement: Undisclosed
Reported/ rumoured reasons for separation: The couple’s work commitments and JLo’s alleged affair with William Levy who also featured in a music video with her. Multiple sources say Anthony had “at least one extra-marital affair in 2009.” Marc had a “compulsion to control everything” in Jennifer’s life, both in business and personal settings. There were reports that he would make her feel terrible about herself if she wanted to wear something sexy…He liked her to dress in a demure, ‘wife’ style. He hated the fact that she was a sex symbol.”
Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson
Married for: 2 years
Settlement: $2.1 million New York home as well as the $350,000 Lafayette, Louisiana house
Reported/rumoured reasons: Warning signals about the relationship emerged when Ryan told a magazine that their relationship had ‘changed’ since they married. ‘I’m a little more guarded, I think, ‘I’m a little bit more wary of having my relationship turning into a soap opera.’ The constant media attention and paparazzi chasing the couple each time they went out took a toll on their marriage.
Courteney Cox and David Arquette
Married for: 11 years
Settlement: $5 million Los Angeles house went to Courteney
Reported/ rumoured reasons: The couple separated in October 2010, after widespread reports of months-long estrangement, as well as rumours of Courteney’s affair/relationship with her Cougar Town costar Brian Van Holt.
Katy Perry and Russell Brand
Married for: 14 months
Settlement: Amicable split; no monies involved
Reported/ rumoured reasons: Russell reportedly desperately wanted kids and Katy wasn’t ready. In an interview, Perry hinted that the split came because Brand envied her success and was “weird” about her career.
Bryan Durham, Melissa D’costa & Tushar Joshi