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Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt were Hollywood’s young golden couple when they began dating in 1994 after working together on the hit movie, Se7en. With their matching blonde haircuts and their slouchy style, no one was more iconic than this duo.
By December 1996, the couple was engaged, but it was a short-lived moment. Their breakup was announced by Pitt’s publicist at the time, Cindy Guagenti, to the New York Post, via People.
“They have been broken up for a couple of weeks now,” she said. “It’s not because of any one specific event.” The reasons were vague as the media outlet’s source doubled down; It’s a real relationship with real problems. This is not about any third party. This is absolutely between the two of them.”
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A pal of Pitt’s gave his version of events, adding, “He’s commitment-shy. He needs to figure out what he wants.”
Gwyneth: The Biography by Amy Odell.
Now, an upcoming book, Gwyneth: The Biography by author Amy Odell, takes a deeper look into their split that rocked the entertainment industry. The book will be available on July 29.
Odell’s biography on Paltrow suggests that her burgeoning career may have contributed to her exit from the relationship, but she wasn’t the one with the issue. The author reported the fresh details in an excerpt obtained by People:
“Gwyneth’s performance got rave reviews when Emma was released in 1996,” she wrote, hinting that Paltrow had a crush on co-star Hugh Grant.
“After Emma came out, Gwyneth went over to [her friend, makeup artist Kevyn] Aucoin’s place and cried about Pitt multiple times. He wanted to be with her but seemed to feel threatened by her success and all the attention she received. [Aucoin’s] advice to Gwyneth was frank, ‘You really need to end this.’”
Odell also noted that there was an unconfirmed rumor about a fling with Sliding Doors co-star John Hannah while she was still with Pitt in 1997.
The only explanation Paltrow has given for the Pitt breakup came in 2015 on The Howard Stern Show. “I wasn’t ready, and he was too good for me,” she said.
Fans may never know the truth behind the Paltrow-Pitt split, but they were young and in love — and sometimes that’s just not enough.
Before you go, click here to see all the celebrity couples who met on set.
