How to stay married when you're famous
Being famous and happily married is a rarity, as countless A list couples can testify. From Brad Pitt to Johnny Depp, Madonna to Gwyneth Paltrow, and plenty more besides, the pressures of fame and an A list lifestyle has seen a vast number of celebrities marooned on the rocks of divorce.
The ones who get it right, however, seem to have hit on a magic formula that helps them weather all the storms of life together - even if it's second, third of fourth time around.
After his first wife Linda died in 1998, Paul McCartney, 79, had a whirlwind romance with actress and activist Heather Mills, marrying her in 2002.
It ended in tears, but since marrying an old friend, US heiress Nancy Shevell in 2011, who is 18 years his junior, he has seldom looked less than contented. This week they celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary.
McCartney has said, "It would be great if it was smooth and wonderful all the time, but you get pockets of that, and sometimes it’s — you could be annoying.
"To Nancy I’m pretty complex, with everything I’ve been through."
Other happy couples in the rock firmament are Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster. Despite an age difference of 26 years and his previous marriages to Alana Stewart and Rachel Hunter, Penny seems to have the magic touch and has brought calm to the rackety life of the ageing singer since they married in 2007.
She volunteers as a Special Constable, and Rod recently said, "I don't sleep, I don't sleep when she's out on the beat. Until I know, she's safe in the car.”
After his marriage to model Rachel Hunter broke down, Stewart 'swore' he'd never marry again, but asked why he changed his mind over Penny, said, "She's adorable... irresistible. Look at that face."
Fellow superstar Elton John is equally happy with his civil partner David Furnish, whom he met in 1993, after years of addiction and broken relationships. He has said, "if I hadn’t have gone through them, I wouldn’t be sitting here having the great life I have now. I would have never met David, I would never have had children. I spent 16 years getting f***ed up and 29 years getting better."
They have two children Zachary and Elijah, born by surrogate. Elton has also said "I knew he was the one because he is not afraid of me. He always tells me exactly what he thinks.”
But is it simply a case of waiting until later in life, when the temptations of rock stardom are easing off, and the old urges are dying down - or is it purely down to being ready to commit to the right person, and having a sense of perspective on fame and all its attendant nonsense?
Read more: 50 Rules For A Happy Marriage
Many happy celebrities are married to someone who's not in the business. Oscar winner Meryl Streep has been married to sculptor Don Gummer since 1978, and though two of their four children are now actors, he has never shown interest in a movie career,.
In her Oscar winner's speech in 2012 she said "I want him to know that everything I value most in our lives, (he's) given me."
When two actors do make it work together, such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, or Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, it's often the case that one has a less stellar career than the other, or they take turns to shine, while one keeps the homes fires burning.
Other long-term successes include Michael J Fox and Tracy Pollan, and Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.
Watch: 2 words for a happier marriage
Oprah Winfrey has been with partner Stedman Graham since 1986 though has never married him. She has said, "If you ever interviewed him, he would tell you that had we married, we would not be together today...Because he’s a traditional man and this is a very untraditional relationship.”
For Michelle and Barack Obama, meeting young was the key- knowing each other before global fame and power meant they had a secure base and knew each other inside out, before the demands of the world hit.
Starting as friends, too, like Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, who have been married for 23 years, is a huge help.
"We started off as friends, and I know that Rande and I, we will always be friends, no matter what," Cindy said.
Read more: Your genes may determine whether or not you have a happy marriage
And being committed is just as important according to Nicole Kidman, who after a troubled marriage to co-star Tom Cruise, has been married to country star Keith Urban for 15 years. She supported him through rehab soon after they got together, and says, " "We just love each other, lavish each other with love."
"We’re always working through stuff, but it’s very much love based, so there’s an enormous amount of give and take.
"I want him to have the best life he can have, and he responds the same way. We really love parenting together.”
For many, clashing egos, schedules and endless on-set temptation proves too much for a marriage to withstand.
Those who do succeed are the ones who compartmentalise their peculiar lives - at home, they're just themselves, and work is left behind.
The ultimate movie couple, who set the standard for every happy Hollywood marriage, was Paul Newman and his wife actress Joanne Woodward.
They met performing in a Broadway play together in 1953, and then starred in movie The Long, Hot Summer, where they fell in love.
They married in 1958 and the union lasted until Newman's death in 2008.
He once said, "I have steak at home. Why would I go out for hamburger?'
Watch: Key to happy marriage? Russian couple wed for 70 years have the answer
