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Celebrity break-ups and romances: A look back at 2016’s highs and lows

It's been a year of high drama

As ever, the past 12 months have not been quiet in Celebland.

There have been some pretty shocking high-profile break-ups that have rocked Hollywood, but also plenty of new babies and new romances.

There have been some truly sensational moments too, such as the robbery of Kim Kardashian West in Paris in October.

Let’s take a walk down memory lane and see what the celebrities have been up to in 2016.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie split

News that Hollywood’s golden couple were splitting up caused shockwaves around the world. The pair, who share six children, were together for 10 years.

Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston

Pop star Taylor, who had recently split from DJ Calvin Harris, and actor Tom embarked on a whirlwind romance in the summer.

The Night Manager actor denied that the union was a publicity stunt, after the pair were pictured looking like love-struck teenagers, with Tom even wearing an “I heart TS” t-shirt.

But the once loved-up couple split in September, with contradictory claims over who had called it a day.

Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber

The couple announced in September they were separating after 11 years together, saying they’d “come to the conclusion that the best way forward for us as a family is to separate as a couple”.

Mariah Carey and James Packer

The wedding had already been postponed but the couple later called their nuptials off.

James McAvoy and Anne-Marie Duff

They were seen as one of the most solid couples in show-business, but Hollywood star James McAvoy and his actress wife Anne-Marie Duff – who he met on the set of Shameless – announced in May that they were divorcing after 10 years of marriage.

Billie Piper and Laurence Fox (Grant Pollard AP/PA Images)

Billie Piper and Laurence Fox

The stars divorced after more than eight years of marriage in May.

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard

The actress split from Depp in May after alleging he was “verbally and physically abusive” to her during their relationship.

She later released a joint statement with the actor saying there was “never any intent of physical or emotional harm”.

Happier couples…

Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid

It’s not all doom and gloom – The former One Direction star finally admitted that he’s more than “friends” with the supermodel in February, and they’re still going strong.

Cheryl and Liam Payne

Cheryl and One Direction star Liam Payne embarked on a romance earlier this year, and the former Girls Aloud singer recently finalised her divorce from Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini.

The couple, who first met on The X Factor back in 2008, are rumoured to be expecting a child together but a representative for Cheryl said that she will not be commenting on the reports.

Kylie Minogue and Joshua Sasse

After weeks of hints and speculation Kylie Minogue has announced her engagement to Joshua Sasse, a British actor nearly two decades her junior, in a newspaper. The couple have since said that they won’t tie the knot until same-sex marriage becomes legal in Australia.

Jamie and Jools Oliver

The couple welcomed their fifth child – baby son River Rocket Oliver.

Janet Jackson

The pop star confirmed she was pregnant, in October, at the age of 50.

Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher

Carrie Fisher claimed she had an “intense” affair with Harrison Ford during the making of Star Wars.

The actress said she had a three-month romance with the Han Solo star – a married father-of-two at the time – which she kept secret for 40 years.

Carrie, who played Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, told People magazine: “It was so intense. It was Han and Leia during the week, and Carrie and Harrison during the weekend.”

Geri and Christian Horner

The couple, who tied the knot last year, confirmed they are expecting their first baby together. The former Spice Girl has happily been showing off her baby bump on social media.

Kimberley Walsh and Justin Scott

The former Girls Aloud star welcomed her second child in December, another son, with Justin Scott. The long-term couple tied the knot in an idyllic wedding ceremony in Barbados in January.

Other dramas

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have had a terrible year. Reality star Kim was tied up by armed robbers, who were dressed as police officers and are believed to have stolen jewellery worth 10 million US dollars, during Paris Fashion Week.

Last month, her rapper husband was taken to hospital suffering from “temporary psychosis due to sleep deprivation and dehydration”, according to celebrity website TMZ.

Kanye, 39, had abruptly pulled the plug on his Saint Pablo Tour following a series of on-stage outbursts, ranting about Beyonce, Jay Z, Hillary Clinton and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Kimye/Taylor Swift feud

Kim provoked controversy in the summer when she said that Taylor Swift “approved” the infamous lyric “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/Why? I made that bitch famous” on West’s track Famous.

But Taylor denied approving the line, saying “it never happened”.


Kaggie Hyland
Editor-in-Chief