Inside the Golden Curse tearing apart Hollywood’s hottest couples – from playing ‘clean-up crew’ to mafia involvement

IT’S 2010 and Sandra Bullock has just won her first Oscar as Best Actress in 2009 film, The Blind Side. 

Her career is at its pinnacle. But just days after she took home the Academy Award, several women came forward about their affairs with her husband, famous mechanic Jesse James. 

This is not an uncommon tale. 

Known as the Golden Curse, hoards of Hollywood’s hottest couples have found their relationship falls apart when one (or both) of them make it big time. 

Celebrities have a divorce rate of around 40% within a 10 year period, according to the Marriage Foundation.

That divorce rate for us normal folk is around 20%, meaning the stars are twice as likely to call it quits after saying “I do” within the decade. 

But what is driving this Golden Curse? Money, of course. 

“There is evidence to suggest that poorer people often make relationships work longer simply because they cannot afford not to,” says Adam Lyons, dating coach and psychology expert.

“They are splitting bills and sharing life costs, so the cost of breaking up is too much and they have to make it work.”

One of the most well-known phrases of all time is the New Testament verse, “for the love of money is the root of all evil.”

Some experts believe that this access to mammoth wealth – plus the opportunities, potential partners and lifestyles that it offers – is a sure-fire recipe for a failed relationship. 

Divorce expert Joan Fradella explains: “Celebrities see more money than they ever saw growing up. 

“They get used to doing whatever they want, no matter who it might hurt. 

“They also get hit on more than most of us, so they most likely find it easier to let go after a shorter length of time, because there will always be someone else available to admire them.”

Fabulous takes a look at Hollywood’s hottest couples who have fallen victim to the Golden Curse…

Sandra Bullock & Jesse James

Sandra Bullock, 60, met Monster Garage host Jesse James, 55, when he gave her and her godson a private tour of the West Coast Choppers’s Long Beach headquarters in 2003. 

The pair began courting over text and the phone before ultimately tying the knot in 2005. All seemed to be perfect until the actress won her first ever Oscar. 

The high-profile award, which marked the pinnacle of her career, sparked a slew of women to admit to affairs with Jesse. 

“She had become so successful in her career and I believe Jesse started to see that as his own weakness, which led to him cheating with somebody who was ‘lower calibre’ in his eyes,” Adam, founder of founder of Ask the Dating Coach, theorises.

“My guess would be that he felt inferior and as though he needed to ‘date down’, and that caused the end of their relationship.”

Sandra is said to be worth a whopping £200 million, while Jesse has an inferior net worth of just shy of £40 million, according to Digital Dev.

Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt

Angelina Jolie, 49, and Brad Pitt, 60, met on set when filming 2005 film, Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Over the course of their 12-year relationship, the couple (famously nicknamed Brangelina) gained a reputation as Hollywood’s most glamorous pairing.

But even these two weren’t immune to the Golden Curse, especially given Angelina was the highest paid actress of 2013 with a £26.6 million pay day, disrupting the male-dominant power dynamic that existed in her marriage. 

Brad Pitt typically earns just shy of £20 million per year, and was paid £7.2 million for his role in the 2013 movie World War Z, less than half of what his ex-wife took home.

“The power dynamic shifting is an interesting one and we’ve seen this happen a few times in Hollywood,” says Adam.

Angelina filed for divorce in 2016 on the grounds of irreconcilable differences and the couple were declared legally single in 2019.

Later, Brad tried to make a power move in retaliation when he sued his ex-wife for selling her share of their winery they both owned to someone else.

Kim Kardashian & Kanye West

Reality TV royalty Kim Kardashian, 44, called it quits with rapper Kanye West, 47, because she was “spending hours and hours and hours of her days as the clean-up crew” following his infamous outbursts. 

The pair might’ve had one of the most liked Instagram pictures of all time sharing a kiss on their wedding day, but no amount of likes could protect them from the Golden Curse. 

They became billionaires together tapping into the excess and vanity fans love to see on social media, and getting paid handsomely from it through both brand deals and their own companies (such as Yeezy and KKW Beauty). 

Kim is worth an estimated £1.4 billion. Kanye was worth £1.6 billion during their marriage, but now has an estimated net worth of £319 million.

As his stardom grew, so did his social-media rampages and controversial political stunts, all of which lost him billions of pounds worth of sponsorships and deals.

It’s likely that doing damage control for Kanye’s problematic antics is what Kim was referring to when she revealed on her family’s new show, The Kardashians, that she didn’t “have the energy” for playing “clean-up crew”. 

Ben Affleck & his Jennifers

After meeting, falling in love and getting engaged in the early 2000s, Ben Affleck, 52, and Jennifer Lopez, 55, parted ways, blaming in part the pressure of the public eye.

Months later, he was in a relationship with fellow actress Jennifer Garner, 52, and the pair officially married in June 2005. 

But it seems no matter which famous Jennifer he shacks up with, Ben can’t shake the Golden Curse with his estimated net worth of £120 million thanks to his lucrative movie career and accolades.

“If you’re trying to be in the top percent in the world at something, the time required to do that is going to need to come from somewhere,” comments Adam. “And unfortunately, that time will come from your relationships.

“Professional success can absolutely hinder a relationship simply because it takes more energy to be at the top of the field in your profession.”

Gwyneth Paltrow & Chris Martin

Gwyneth Paltrow, 52, and Chris Martin, 47, were married for over a decade before they famously announced their “conscious uncoupling” in 2014.

They reportedly met backstage at a Coldplay concert in October 2002 and tied the knot just over a year later. But after welcoming two children together, love in the spotlight started to become challenging.

During an interview with Self in April 2013, Gwyneth hinted: “Dealing with things directly changed my relationships. Sometimes when you get clear about who you are, others get less comfortable because they liked who you were. It’s changed my marriage too.”

A year later, the couple declared on her lifestyle site Goop: “We have come to the conclusion that while we love each other very much we will remain separate.”

They were said to be worth around £112 million each at the time, meaning their divorce settlement was simple.

That being said, Chris waited two years before signing on the dotted line to end the marriage.

Cardi B & Offset

This rapping duo’s on-off marriage was rife with cheating until they called it quits for good in July 2024, with Cardi B filing for divorce for a second time.

The pair started dating in February 2017 and were secretly married in September. However, that very Christmas it was confirmed Offset had cheated on his new wife – the first confirmation of many. 

Cardi herself later admitted that “he’s known for having different women” when speaking to W magazine in October 2018. 

And she loosely referenced the Golden Curse as a reason. “Our relationship is not like everybody’s, he was always traveling, and I was always traveling. We’re artists,” she said. 

In similar fashion to Kanye, both Cardi B and Offset have had public outbursts on social media in recent months, including attacking one another on the world stage.  

And as their wealth is slightly disparate (Cardi B estimates she’s made well over £63 million in her career, while Offset has an estimated net worth around £22 million), the Golden Curse may have reared its ugly head to exacerbate marital problems between the two.

Martine McCutcheon & Jack McManus

Marine McCutcheon, 48, and Jack McManus’, 40, marriage got off to a ‘chaotic’ start when they tied the knot in 2012, with the pair having to cough up cash to the mafia.

They said “I do” during a lavish ceremony in Lake Como, Italy but suffered “hidden costs” at the hands of the mafia, with things getting “tense” when they refused to pay up, according to Jack.

The couple announced they had called time on their relationship after 18 years in August 2024.

Love Actually star Martine is estimated to have a net worth around £10 million now, but she was actually declared bankrupt one year after tying the knot with Jack.

Bankruptcy trustees KPMG said the star’s “largest creditor” was Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs in February 2013.

According to Adam, “evidence to suggest that poorer people often make relationships work longer simply because they cannot afford not to”.

This might have been the case for Martine and Jack, with the Golden Curse not taking effect till a decade later when the actress had built her wealth back up.