The Ex factor: Famous divorces that didn't end in public mud-slinging

The former couple reunited for their son Patrick’s 29th birthday on Monday leading to the young actor sharing a happy family snap on his Instagram account.

After a 35-year marriage and four children together, Maria filed for divorce in 2011 after Arnold disclosed he had fathered a child with a member of their household staff years earlier.

It remains unclear as to why the settlement process has taken 10 years to reach, however the pair seem to have a very amicable relationship.

They are not the only celebrity couple to remain close after a public split.

• Elizabeth Hurley and Hugh Grant

Hurley and Grant haven’t been romantically together for 22 years but in a recent episode of the PEOPLE in the ’90s podcast, she revealed that she’s still quite close with her actor ex.

The pair separated after a 13-year relationship, mainly due to the fact that the About a Boy star was caught with a sex worker and arrested by local police. However, the stunning actress revealed: “I’m still extremely good friends with Hugh. We went through so much together. But I’ve been thinking, one of the most important things to keep good relations with your exes is to have a lot of respect for their current life.”

“We have such a strong friendship,” she added. “But we’re always very aware that there are other people in our lives. There’s partners, there’s children. You can’t just, sort of, live in a lovely, rosy, mist of the past. You have to move with the times and be very respectful of the present, which we are.”

• Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston

Let’s not talk about Brad and his other ex shall we? Okay. Sound. Pitt and Aniston delighted fans with their reunion at the 2020 SAG Awards, but the truth is that these two have always been friendly.

“They have a very mature relationship that has evolved over time because they both have experienced marriages that didn’t work out,” a source told US media site Entertainment Tonight back in January. “Right now, they just love and adore each other and have been much closer friends since their divorces.”

• Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin

Actor Paltrow and Coldplay frontman Martin are the planet’s friendliest exes after they “consciously uncoupled” in 2014 after a 10-year marriage.

Stupid terminology aside, the pair almost seem inseparable at times, despite living apart with their respective relationships. They even go on holidays together and are regularly pictured enjoying each other’s company while continuing to raise their children.

• Madonna and Sean Penn

Madonna and Sean Penn were one of the most famous couples of the 1980s and have proven to be much better apart than together. Their volatile four-year marriage ended in a prickly divorce however they remain close friends with Penn telling TV host Stephen Colbert in 2018: “Ah, I love my first wife very much. There’s no comparison.”

• Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum

Step Up co-stars Dewan and Tatum announced their split via a joint statement to People in April 2018, making it clear from the get-go that they have zero negative feelings toward each other.

“We have lovingly chosen to separate as a couple,” they said in the statement, which was later posted to Tatum’s Instagram.

In an interview with Vegas magazine back in May, Dewan shared that friendship was always at the core of their relationship. “We started out as friends, and I would say it was an instant recognition. When we met [on the set of Step Up in 2005], it felt like we had known each other for many years. Ultimately, no matter what Chan and I are doing, we’re really great friends. I think that will never change, no matter what.”

• Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak

These Office co-stars and besties are the holy grail of staying friends with an ex — though it’s fair to say their relationship teeters right on the edge of flirty. in 2015, Kaling said this about their situationship: “I will freely admit: My relationship with B.J. Novak is weird as hell. He is not my boyfriend, but he is not my best friend. I guess you could describe our relationship as a ‘romantically charged camaraderie with loud arguments,’ but I don’t think Facebook would accept this as a new status.”

• Diane Kruger and Joshua Jackson

Kruger and Dawson’s Creek superstar Jackson had a 10-year relationship before going their separate ways… but the couple are still vocal supporters of each other in their personal and professional lives.

In 2017, Jackson celebrated the actress’ Cannes win with this sweet caption: “Yes she Cannes. Having witnessed the integrity and dedication that you bring to every job, I’m over the moon to see you getting the recognition you deserve.”

• Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck

Affleck and Garner ended their relationship after 10 years of marriage, but are still close co-parents for their children Violet, Seraphina and Samuel.

There is no chance of rekindling the romance now though as both are coupled up with their respective partners. Garner is in a relationship with businessman and tech CEO John Miller, while Affleck just married J-Lo. Just in case you missed that news cycle.

• Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet

Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet stunned a lot of people earlier this year when they announced that they were going their separate ways after more than a decade together. But since their breakup, Momoa has alluded to how important Bonet is to him. “We’re family, you know,” the Aquaman star told Access Hollywood on the Oscars red carpet. “We have two beautiful children together. We’re family forever.”