Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin revealed on Tuesday night through a post on the actress's lifestyle website Goop that they were to split up after 10 years of marriage, and their joint statement received so many hits it crashed the site.
Goop was set up by Gwyneth as a way to share healthy recipes, travel ideas and interior design suggestions, but she's now shared a bit more than that in a journal called 'Conscious Uncoupling' which revealed that she was to separate from her husband, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.
Chris and Gwyneth in happier times
As news quickly spread that they were separating, users flocked to the website to read the couple's joint statement only to be greeted with an error message, thought to be due to an influx of people visiting the site.
The online reaction to the couple's split has been massive - particularly on Twitter - with social media users weighing in with their own opinions:
Meanwhile, other Twitter users noted the use of the unusual expression 'Conscious Uncoupling' to announce the split, and the couple's avoidance of the word 'divorce' in their statement:
In their statement, Chris and Gwyneth revealed they have been working on their marriage for the past year, but ultimately decided it would be better to split up.
Together they have two children, 9-year-old Apple and 7-year-old Moses.
Gwyneth told the UK edition of Glamour magazine last year: "It's hard being married. You go through great times, you go through terrible times. We're the same as any couple."