The Top 10 Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces

Access Hollywood - December 16, 2008 1:59 PM PST
Story photo: The Top 10 Most Expensive Celebrity DivorcesTop 10 Hollywood DivorcesComposed by AccessHollywood.comAccess Hollywood

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Madonna's split with film director Guy Ritchie has become one of the most costly celebrity divorces of all time.

Earlier this week, Madonna's longtime publicist, Liz Rosenberg, revealed to the Associated Press that Madonna was to give Ritchie between 50 and 60 million pounds ($76 million to $92 million) as part of their divorce agreement, with the figure including the value of the couple's country home, Ashcombe.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Top 10 Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces

While Madonna's split with her husband of eight years was a costly one, there are a number of stars who paid out a lot more.

10. Michael Douglas's marriage to Diandra Douglas ended in 2000 and wound up being quite an expensive "Attraction." When the couple decided to split after 23 years, Diandra walked away with $45 million.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Star Couples

9. Phil Collins' divorce from Orianne Cevey, a Swiss-born woman 22 years his junior, in 2008 landed him the ninth most expensive celebrity divorce rank. The marriage, which lasted six years and produced two children, ended with Collins paying Cevey $46.76 million.

8. Paul McCartney called it a day with Heather Mills in 2006 after four years of marriage, but it took until the fall of 2008 for the former Beatle and the charity campaigner to hammer out the details of their divorce. In the end, McCartney's lawyer, Fiona Shackleton, was doused with water by Mills as the one time "Dancing With the Stars" contestant walked away with $48.6 million of McCartney's money.

7. "Titanic" was a movie of epic proportions and is still the biggest grossing box office movie of all time, so it almost goes without saying that when its director, James Cameron, and his actress wife, Linda Hamilton, went their separate ways in 1999, she got a piece of the hull. The two-year marriage (though the couple's relationship goes back to 1991) ended with a settlement for Hamilton in the form of $50 million.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Madonna's Men

6. Depending on fluxuating currency markets, Madonna's split with Guy Ritchie, at the very least, places her split sixth on the list of Hollywood's most expensive divorces. Her rep called the split, which cost Madonna at least $76 million, "one of the largest payouts ever in a divorce settlement."

5. Kevin Coster and Cindy Silva were married for 16 years, between 1978 and 1994, but their split was anything but sweet for the actor. Silva left the marriage with $80 million.

4. Harrison Ford spent the 1980s and 1990s with wife Melissa Mathison, but the couple decided to call it quit after 21 years together in 2004. Mathison walked away with $85 million, and according to Forbes, a cut of Harrison's future earnings for the movies he made while they were still married, which included two "Star Wars" films and three "Indiana Jones" movies, plus many more.

3. Steven Spielberg's split with wife of just four years, Amy Irving, in 1989 proved to be quite costly for the filmmaker. Though the couple had a pre-nup, Irving was able to challenge it, according to USA Today, and Spielberg paid out $100 million, making their split the third biggest pay out in celebrity history.

2. Neil Diamond was singing a "Song Sung Blue" for his split with Marcia Murphey. The two wed in 1969 and spent 27 years together, but at the end of it, he paid out $150 million, or roughly $5.5 million for each year they were together.

1. According to both USA Today and Forbes, basketball legend Michael Jordan made the largest payout ever in a celebrity divorce -- to his ex-wife Juanita. The former Chicago Bulls star was forced to pay out $168 million to Juanita for their 18-year marriage, which they finalized the split on in 2007.

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PLAY IT NOW: T.G.I.F. - Madonna & Guy Reach Divorce Settlement?
PLAY IT NOW: AUDIO: Carlos Leon On Madonna's Divorce (Oct. 15, 2008)

MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Divorces - Madonna - Paul McCartney - Heather Mills - Kevin Costner

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comments 1-10 of 22  |< newest · < newer · older > · oldest >|  hide comments · post a comment
  • Eryk
    Well it must've been worth it because they all went through with the divorces. Happiness is more important than money, and anyway, these people all have the potential to earn millions and millions more bucks.
    report abuseposted January 13, 2009 2:12 AM PST
  • confused-ius
    What is new?I hope that the fidelity among the married couples be given importance and not this kind of sensationalism created by those who just want to be talked about. Looking for happily married people bannered in the headlines...
    report abuseposted December 18, 2008 5:28 PM PST
  • peachy girl
    If these men could keep their dicks in their pants they could keep their money. (Well, in Madonnas case, keepsother dicks out but that will never happen!)
    report abuseposted December 18, 2008 3:36 PM PST
  • jogi
    wow, no wonder there are so many divorces in hollywood. dayum look at the $$ you get!! come to think of it, i'd gladly marry madonna if i'd get 92 million after 8 years! good investment...
    report abuseposted December 17, 2008 9:11 PM PST
  • Time L
    LOL.... search " My Discount Bag " on google to get the same designer bags with Karolina. " My Discount Bag " is just for fashion ladies, wow! Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Fendi, Coach, Miu Miu, Dior, Hermes, Chloe, Dolce & Gabbana Women's shoes ***u g g b a r g a i n ***
    report abuseposted December 17, 2008 10:02 AM PST
  • david
    with all that kind of money who needs a wife when you can have all the girlfriends you want and not have to payout in the end.a true player never ties himself down to one woman
    report abuseposted December 17, 2008 8:20 AM PST
  • Scott R
    cmon boys the p***y cant be that good to to give up half your money
    report abuseposted December 17, 2008 8:00 AM PST
  • Tina
    HEY EVERYONE THIS YA GURL TINA AKA MRZ.FUC N WILLIAMS AND I LOVE YEW BBY AND IM HAVE THE BABII LLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEE YYYYYYYYYOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! P.SS. HOES RUN UP
    report abuseposted December 17, 2008 7:54 AM PST
  • Sparky Peanut
    your all idiots
    report abuseposted December 17, 2008 7:47 AM PST
  • rain
    yea this is fair...im sure junita was passing jordan the ball in game 6 in 1998 she sure deserves all that money....People need to see Dominick Barber for an iron clad prenup!
    report abuseposted December 17, 2008 3:29 AM PST
comments 1-10 of 22  |< newest · < newer · older > · oldest >| 

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