Hands up those who thought Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth would make it past the one year mark? Let’s face it, when they announced their split after just eight months of marriage, many weren’t that surprised.
However, the surprising part was when pictures surfaced of Cyrus playing Barbie’s Dreamhouse with Kaitlynn Carter – Brody Jenner’s soon-to-be ex-wife.
It’s a union that wasn’t meant to be in the first place. With Cyrus still experimenting with her sexuality and Hemsworth hoping that she’d settle down after he put a ring on it, it was only a matter of time.
It’s sad now that their private lives are being exposed like an open wound for the rest of the world to see. What’s even sadder is the fact that short-lived marriages are nothing new. The Daily Mail’s Antonia Hoyle un-affectionately refers to it as micro marriages. “These days it’s not unusual for marriages of the rich and famous to end before the ink is fully dry on the marriage certificate,” she wrote.
Cyrus and Hemsworth are not the first, and they won’t be the last to cancel their marriage before hitting the one year mark. Here’s a look at other famous marriages that didn’t stand the test of time.
Sophie Ndaba and Keith Harrington
Their marriage lasted six months, but Bishop Keith Harrington admitted that while married to TV actress Sophie Ndaba, he didn’t see it as a mistake. The two married in a star-studded ceremony at Summer Place in Johannesburg in December 2011, but then went their separate ways in June 2012.
Veteran actress Sophie Ndaba is now married to businessman Max Lichaba. Picture: Instagram
The divorce was far from amicable with both parties taking protection orders against each other. Both went on to marry other people.
Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman
An unlikely duo, they shocked the world when they married in Las Vegas after a night of heavy partying in 1998. According to USA Today, on November 14, Rodman and Electra, who had been reportedly dating for nine months, were in Las Vegas when they decided to tie the knot at 7am at the Little Chapel of the Flowers.
“They just arrived knocking at the door,” said chapel owner Barbara Taylor in an interview with People.
“Carmen and Dennis spoke several days ago and mutually agreed [to end the marriage],” said Electra’s publicist Cindy Guagengi when making the breakup announcement six days after.
Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries
Their fairytale wedding reportedly cost millions of dollars and was aired on Kardashian’s reality TV show. But even the lure of endorsements and their own spinoff show couldn’t stop Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries from heading for splitsville 72 days after saying “I do” in 2011.
Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries split just after 72 days of marriage. Picture: AP
Kardashian’s reason for ending things? Glamour reported she couldn’t keep up with her filming commitments and maintaining her marriage. Not surprising that she hooked up with current husband Kanye West before the union was officially dissolved. This could be her happily ever after though, as they are parents to four children.
Britney Spears and Jason Alexander
Wearing jeans and a baseball cap, Britney Spears thought she had found happiness with high school sweetheart Jason Alexander when the two walked down the aisle in a Las Vegas chapel. The 2004 marriage lasted 55 hours after it was annulled.
During an interview with ABC News in 2012, Alexander said Spears had invited him to Las Vegas and flew him over in a private yet. "It wasn't really a booty call," he said. "It was just, you know, a friend asking a friend to come on a trip."
And on getting married, he admitted: "I went with my feelings... I was in love with her. ... I feel like she felt the same way."