Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green's Breakup May Have Saved Their Marriage: All the Celebrity Proof That Time Apart Can Really Help

Pink and Corey Hart, Patrick and Jillian Dempsey, Miley and Liam, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones... Why a temporary split may be the best thing for a couple

By Natalie Finn Apr 12, 2016 7:31 PMTags
Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Megan Fox,Brian Austin Green, Pink, Carey Hart Getty Images

Well look at these two!

Considering Brian Austin Green and Megan Fox were practically dating again less than two months after they filed divorce papers last year, the happy news that Fox is pregnant with their third child together wasn't the most surprising thing reported all week. Or even yesterday.

But it is interesting that the longtime loves' trip to divorce court seemed to serve as the catalyst for what now looks to be a pretty convincing reconciliation.

After being together for the better part of 12 years and married since June 24, 2010, Fox filed for divorce last August, just over a month after their officially cited date of separation, June 15, 2015. While they both kept entirely mum about the split, news of the couple continuing to enjoy family time—as well as nights out just the two of them—ultimately spoke for itself.

At first it was impossible to tell for sure whether they were just maintaining their routine for their sons' sake, many celebrity exes continuing to look perfectly content after entering the No-Longer-Romantic Zone. And there's still no official confirmation yet that they have decided not to divorce, though a source tells E! News it "will likely be put on hold for a while."

But in Fox and Green's case, the brief break may have been just what they needed to recharge their relationship—like a number of famous couples who went as far as to almost divorce, but then decided not to. (Or, in the occasional case, did divorce and then reconciled.)

Kevin Mazur/TCA 2010/WireImage.com

The tactic doesn't always work. There are the Pamela Andersons and Rick Salomons of the world (or more classically, the Elizabeth Taylors and Richard Burtons) who get married twice but the second time proves as toxic as the first. Or there was Sean Penn and Robin Wright, who almost divorced in 2007, decided not to, but then broke up again in 2009 for good, though not until after another hesitation that year.

So not everyone is meant to get back together, but sometimes...you are!

Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus went so far as to file divorce papers in 2013; but she changed her mind barely a month later, saying couples therapy had really helped them work on their marriage, which is now happily into its 20s.

NeNe Leakes and hubby Greg actually divorced in 2011 after 14 years together—but it didn't take that long for them to realize they'd rather be together. The Real Housewives of Atlanta stars remarried in 2013 and seem happier than ever.

Lockerz

We'll see whether Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth make it to the altar anytime soon, but they're recently back together after a breakup that lasted for more than two years—yet more proof that you just never know. (Plus Miley's parents proved that love can conquer all if you work at it a bit... and couples whom we hear are doing pretty darn great after some early cold feet include Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake, Nick and Vanessa Lachey, and Prince William and Kate Middleton. They look fairly happy, right?)

Pink and Carey Hart certainly seemed to be heading for Splitsville back in 2008 when they separated after two years of marriage, but their time apart was brief and they were wearing the look of love again in May 2009, when Pink gushed to E! News, "Everything's perfect!"

"He couldn't live without me," the "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" singer added, while her extreme-moto-sports-riding hubby agreed, "She drove me so crazy that I missed her."

Rob Kim/Getty Images

That could've been a little lip service, but they welcomed daughter Willow Sage Hart in 2013 and are still chugging right along.

On the long-wedded end of the spectrum, Patrick Dempsey's wife of 15 years, Jillian Dempsey (nèe Fink) filed for divorce in January 2015. Fast-forward to this past February when they were enjoying a downright McDreamy-looking vacation in St. Barts with their three kids after calling the whole thing off. The divorce, that is.

"For the past year, Patrick and Jillian have been working on getting to where they are right now," a source told People in January.

Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Marie Claire

Maybe life just got too crazy as Dempsey's epic run on Grey's Anatomy was coming to an end... Either way, apparently they just needed a little time to re-settle back down.

But perhaps most prominently in recent years, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones announced their separation in August 2013, the news that they were taking time off to "evaluate and work on their [13-year] marriage" sounding especially unfortunate since it came not long after his cancer battle and after she had generously opened up about her struggle with bipolar disorder.

Jordan Strauss/Invision for AARP/AP Images

Douglas publicly never lost faith, though, confidently saying that October, "Sometimes people take a little bit of a break, but it doesn't necessarily mean that's the end. I'm very hopeful." 

Sure enough, the parents of two were again attending events together within a few months and by the following summer Douglas was thrilled to report that their life together was on an upswing. They celebrated 15 years of marriage last November after the Oscar-winning actor happily told Ellen DeGeneres their union was "stronger than ever."

All this being said, with so much history under their belt, as well as another baby on the way, there's no reason to think that Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green can't make it work for good this time. May they bounce back better after their breakup, as so many have done before.