10 Celebrities Who Wish Their Previous Marriages Had Ended On Better Terms

Like marriage, divorcement is not a determination to beryllium taken lightly. While determination are examples of couples reconciling (and adjacent remarrying) aft a split, those stories are fewer and acold between. Often, aft a matrimony ends — particularly successful the nationalist oculus — the "bridges" betwixt a mates are acold excessively burnt to ever recross...

After the archetypal turmoil, immoderate individuals, whether celebrated oregon not, yet regret ending their marriage. Many celebrities person been outspoken astir the reasons wherefore they regret their divorces, and adjacent their roles successful the unraveling of erstwhile relationships. So, without further ado, present are 10 celebrities who publically admitted their divorcement regrets:

The marriage: As Kris recounted during a 2022 occurrence of The Martha Stewart Podcast, she archetypal met Robert Kardashian astatine a equine contention successful California, "I met him erstwhile I was 17, astir 18. I met him astatine the Del Mar contention track, and I was determination with immoderate friends — I wasn’t aged capable to spot a bet, truthful I had to basal implicit to the broadside of the people, the betting window. My friends were betting, and I would springiness them my $3, and they would spot a stake for me. He came up to maine and introduced himself, and that’s however we met."

The divorce: In 1989, Kris began an matter with nonrecreational shot player-turned-animator Todd Waterman. In her 2011 autobiography, the now-69-year-old wrote, "That buss [between her and Waterman] was much than amazing; it was similar a revival, a resuscitation, an awakening from immoderate long, deep, unconscious sleep...It made maine consciousness young, attractive, sexy, and alive. Along with these feelings came a question of nausea. I really wanted to propulsion up astatine the aforesaid time. Because it dawned connected maine that I had not felt that mode with Robert for years."

After Kris confessed to the affair, she and Robert divorced successful 1991.

The regret: Jenner described the divorcement arsenic 1 of the "biggest regrets" of her life. Writing, "I had mislaid Robert. Suddenly, I realized everything that was large astir my marriage. Robert was the top feline successful the world. He would ne'er cheat connected me. He lone wanted the champion for me."

The marriage: During a 2018 occurrence of Red Table Talk, the present 56-year-old revealed helium met his archetypal wife, Sheree Zampino, successful 1991 connected the acceptable of A Different World — though helium initially visited the sitcom successful hopes of gathering Jada: "The dude that was going to present maine to Jada was with different miss and I was similar ‘Who is that?' I went to Different World to conscionable Jada, and met Sheree and ended up marrying Sheree and having [my son] Trey with Sheree."

The divorce: Within the aforesaid year, Zampino filed for divorce, claiming that Will's drastic summation successful fame caused the marital rift.

The marriage: Bill and Melinda French Gates met successful 1987 erstwhile she took a occupation successful merchandise improvement astatine Microsoft. However, their gathering wasn't emotion astatine archetypal sight; successful the 2019 docuseries, Inside Bill's Brain: Decoding Bill Gates, Bill revealed, "When we archetypal met, she had different boyfriends, and I had Microsoft."

The divorce: In May 2021, the tech powerfulness mates announced they were splitting successful a associated connection connected X: "After a large woody of thought and a batch of enactment connected our relationship, we person made the determination to extremity our marriage. We person raised 3 unthinkable children and built a instauration that works each implicit the satellite to alteration each radical to pb healthy, productive lives. We proceed to stock a content successful that ngo and volition proceed our enactment unneurotic astatine the foundation, but we nary longer judge we tin turn unneurotic arsenic a mates successful this adjacent signifier of our lives."

The divorcement was finalized connected August 2, 2021. Although the afloat fiscal details of the colony person ne'er been revealed, it was noted that Melinda was allocated implicit $2 cardinal successful stocks and shares. 

After exiting her co-chair presumption astatine the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, present simply known arsenic the Gates Foundation, the 60-year-old wrote successful a statement connected X: "Under the presumption of my statement with Bill, successful leaving the foundation, I volition person an further $12.5 cardinal to perpetrate to my enactment connected behalf of women and families."

The regret: In January 2025, portion promoting his autobiography, Source Code: My Beginnings, Gates told the Times of London that his divorcement was "at the apical of the list" of his failures successful beingness and "the divorcement happening was miserable for maine and Melinda for astatine slightest 2 years."

The marriage: Affleck and Jennifer Garner archetypal met successful 2000 connected the acceptable of the warfare movie Pearl Harbor, successful which Affleck starred arsenic Captain Rafe McCawley, and Garner had a tiny portion arsenic a caregiver named Sandra. However, during the couple's archetypal meeting, Garner was joined to Felicity co-star Scott Foley.

The divorce: Days aft their tenth anniversary, Garner and Affleck announced they were divorcing: "After overmuch thought and cautious consideration, we person made the hard determination to divorce. We spell guardant with emotion and relationship for 1 different and a committedness to co-parenting our children whose privateness we inquire to beryllium respected during this hard time. This volition beryllium our lone remark connected this private, household matter. Thank you for understanding."

In March 2017, Affleck completed rehab and thanked Garner for her enactment connected Facebook, "I person completed attraction for intoxicant addiction; thing I've dealt with successful the past and volition proceed to confront. I privation to unrecorded beingness to the fullest and beryllium the champion begetter I tin be. I privation my kids to cognize determination is nary shame successful getting assistance erstwhile you request it, and to beryllium a root of spot for anyone retired determination who needs assistance but is acrophobic to instrumentality the archetypal step. I'm fortunate to person the emotion of my household and friends, including my co-parent, Jen, who has supported maine and cared for our kids arsenic I've done the enactment I acceptable retired to do. This was the archetypal of galore steps being taken towards a affirmative recovery."

The pursuing month, helium and Garner officially filed for divorce, which was finalized connected October 5, 2018.

The regret: In 2020, Affleck opened up to the New York Times astir however his divorcement and intoxicant misuse were related, "I drank comparatively usually for a agelong time. What happened was that I started drinking much and much erstwhile my matrimony was falling apart. This was 2015, 2016. My drinking, of course, created much marital problems."

The marriage: During an 2009 interview, David Arquette recalled that helium and Cox archetypal met astatine a pre-filming enactment for Scream, "I was being a small cocky and Courteney was like, 'Ah, I've heard of you,' and we conscionable kept flirting for a while. She's conscionable truthful gorgeous and she jokes astir truthful much."

The divorce: In October 2010, the mates announced they were undergoing a "trial separation" play with a associated statement: "We stay champion friends and liable parents to our girl and we inactive emotion each different deeply. As we spell done this process we are determined to usage kindness and knowing to get done this together."

Arquette's rep confirmed that the histrion had entered a rehab programme 3 months later. Cox released a connection of support, telling People, "I truly respect David and his prime to instrumentality complaint and amended his life." She added, "I emotion and enactment him."

A period later, Arquette checked retired aft completing his attraction and visited the Oprah Winfrey Show a fewer weeks later, wherever helium spoke astir the authorities of his marriage, “I privation her [Cox] to beryllium happy. If maine being the champion idiosyncratic I tin beryllium doesn’t marque her blessed successful a partner, successful who she needs, immoderate she’s looking for, that’s inactive to beryllium answered.” He added that helium didn’t cognize if a blessed ending was possible, but that he’d “love for it to enactment out.”

However, the mates officially filed for divorcement connected June 8, 2012, which was finalized the pursuing May. 

The regret: The pursuing year, Cox told More, "When you emotion someone, you privation them to beryllium happy, adjacent if it's not with you."

The marriage: Shortly aft moving from Florida to California successful 1996 to articulation the Los Angeles Lakers, Shaq met movie marketer and aboriginal wife, Shaunie Nelson.

The divorce: In September 2007, Shaq filed for divorcement successful Miami. The petition from his lawyer stated: "The matrimony betwixt the parties is irretrievably broken."

However, by the pursuing August, the mates had called disconnected the divorce, with Shaunie telling the Associated Press, "Neither 1 of america could astir apt reply wherefore we were getting 1 successful the archetypal place. Things person been going truthful great, that idiosyncratic really had to punctual america that 'Hey, you bash retrieve those papers are inactive there.' Literally, it was days ago." The Basketball Wives creator added, "So, we've agreed that earlier we permission Florida we'll marque definite that that's gone away."

But by 2009, their matrimony was connected the rocks again, this clip Shaunie filed for separation, citing irreconcilable differences and seeking afloat custody of their children. A twelvemonth later, the mates reached a settlement.

The regret: In his 2011 memoir, Shaq Uncut: My Story, the NBA Hall of Famer archetypal expressed regret for the mode helium handled his matrimony and admitted to infidelity, arsenic good arsenic not being the "best partner."

In her 2024 memoir, Undefeated: Changing the Rules and Winning connected My Own Terms, Henderson wrote of her ex's infidelities, "Looking back, I don't cognize that I was ever truly successful emotion with the man," she wrote. "I was successful emotion with the thought of being joined to the antheral I had a household with. I was successful emotion with the thought of gathering a beingness together."

The time aft the book's release, Shaq took to Instagram successful a station galore commenters deemed "mature," writing: “I understand...I wouldn’t person been successful emotion with maine either. Wishing you each the best...All love, Shaq.' He captioned the post, “Trust maine one get it."

The marriage: Rossdale and Gwen Stefani archetypal crossed paths successful 1995 portion their bands (Bush and No Doubt) were performing astatine a performance for an LA vigor station.

The divorce: In August 2015, the mates unexpectedly announced their divorcement with a associated statement: "While the 2 of america person travel to the communal determination that we volition nary longer beryllium partners successful marriage, we stay partners successful parenthood and are committed to jointly raising our 3 sons successful a blessed and steadfast environment."

The regret: During a March 2024 interrogation connected Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes's podcast, Amy & T.J., Rossdale revealed that his "clearest, simplest shame" was giving his sons a "broken home."

The marriage: Philippe and ex Reese Witherspoon archetypal crossed paths successful March 1997. During an interrogation with Jane mag the pursuing year, the Legally Blonde prima claimed they met astatine her 21st day party. "I don't cognize what came implicit maine — possibly the 7 Midori sours — but I told him, 'I deliberation you're my day present.' He thought it was truthful flattering and present that I deliberation astir it…how embarrassing!"

The divorce: On October 30, 2006, the mates announced they were going their abstracted ways successful a associated connection done their rep: "We are saddened to denote that Reese and Ryan person decided to formally separate. They stay committed to their household and we inquire that you delight respect their privateness and the information of their children astatine this time."

Witherspoon officially filed for divorcement connected November 8, 2006, citing "irreconcilable differences."  The divorcement was finalized connected October 5, 2007, with last arrangements settled the pursuing June. The exes were granted associated custody of their children.

The regret: In February 2008, Philippe opened up to W mag and claimed his divorcement was "the darkest, saddest spot I've ever been."

The marriage: Real Housewives of Orange County stars Vicki and Don Gunvalson joined successful 1994 and founded Coto Insurance and Financial Services the aforesaid year.

The divorce: However, by October 2010, Vicki filed for divorce. At the clip she told People, "Donn has been an important portion of my beingness and helium volition proceed to be. Anyone who has gone done a divorcement understands that this is simply a idiosyncratic substance and a hard clip successful our lives. It’s amicable and we are not astatine likelihood with 1 another. It’s conscionable time."

In the June 2011 RHOC reunion episode, Donn told his broadside of the communicative to big Andy Cohen, "I recovered retired that Vicki filed for divorcement erstwhile the process server showed up astatine my office. From the get-go, the clip I was asking Vicki to springiness maine and our clip unneurotic conscionable didn't happen." He continued, "Every evening, she was moving late, and her trips would go longer, and she'd telephone little and less. It was emblematic Vicki — she orchestrated [the divorce], that's however she rolls."

"Vicki should consciousness atrocious she wounded me. What she did was not chill successful anybody's eyes. A matrimony and a antheral should beryllium treated with dignity. I don't deliberation however this went down was treated with people oregon dignity and I merit both," helium concluded.

The regret: At BravoCon 2022, during the "Right the Relationship" panel, Vicki recalled her "biggest regret" was divorcing Donn, telling the audience, "I divorced my hubby for Brooks [Ayers] and it's the biggest regret I ever had...I volition never, ever cheat again. It destroyed my family."

Gunvalson and Ayers broke up successful August 2015 aft she claimed that helium had duped her by stating helium had been diagnosed with cancer. In November 2015, Ayers admitted to falsifying documents astir his crab treatment, but not the diagnosis itself.

Since 2022, Gunvalson has been dating entrepreneur Michael Smith.