What We Can Learn From Demi And Ashton's Split And Other A-List Divorces

Celebrity Divorces: What Should Demi Do Next?

The couple sent out not-so-subtle hints of marital trouble on Twitter last month, as rumours emerged that 33-year-old Ashton was playing away from home with women decades younger than his 49-year-old wife.

But with a broken heart and a bruised reputation to repair - not to mention their joint $290 million fortune to divide - what will Demi do next?

"With regard to their estimated $290m fortune - when the couple married, Demi was considerably richer than Ashton as she was the first actress to reach the $10m mark per film and during the 1990s the highest paid actress in Hollywood," says Amanda McAlister, Head of Family Law at Russell Jones & Walker.

"However, she took a career break for several years and has made few films in the past years. At the same time, Ashton has had a successful television and film career, and his now the star of Two and a Half Men with a contract worth an estimated $20m. It is to be hoped they drew up a pre-nup but we know little about this.

"Both parties will be seeking legal advice and since I imagine they will want to keep the proceedings private, are likely to hammer out an agreement between them and avoid a costly, and career-damaging, court battle," predicts Amanda.

Recent findings suggest that the writing was on the wall for Ashton and Demi thanks to their 16-year age gap. The survey by IllicitEncounters.com, a dating website for those seeking extra-marital relations, found that as many as 24% of its members had an age gap of 10 years or more.

Demi and Ashton aren't the only high profile couple whose divorce has made the headlines. Take a look at these famous divorces - and find out what we can learn from them.