

What can we learn from serial celebrity break-ups, billionaire bust-ups, misbehaving spouses, pants-on challenged politicos and the ever-shifting landscape of divorce law? Question is, "What CAN'T we learn"? With latte in hand and clicky finger at the ready, dive in for the best in divorce news, views, gossip, and buzz – assembled below for your reading pleasure.
Our current contributors are Jill Brooke, Maureen Dempsey, Naomi Dunn, and Linda Lee.

But why are we telling you about it? Firstly, because the same people who host Daddy Divorce Camps are in the process of putting together a Mommy Divorce Camp. And second, because while these getaways are intended specifically to help daddies, mommies and the rest of the family are supposed to benefit as well.
For about $600, attendees receive crash courses in a range of divorce-related issues — from legal and financial, to family and child matters — along with anger management and stress reduction techniques. Workshops take place to rebuild confidence and assist in the healing and closure process. Campers can also indulge in some extracurricular activities like sports, a comedy show, and poker.
The poker skills aside, it would seem enormously beneficial for at least one member of a splitting couple, if not both, to get better acquainted with the above issues — and take an anger management course or three. Also, as long as Daddy's new confidence doesn't turn into bullying, we'd much rather be dealing with a man in the process of finding himself, than one lost in a sea of fear, anger, and self-pity.
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Take the story of Xiao Li, a pint-sized 12-year-old girl from Shenyang, Liaoning Province. According to China Daily, Xiao hasn't grown an inch since her parents divorced four years ago. Poor Xiao now stands a wee 3.9 feet tall and is towered over by her larger classmates.
Apparently, Xiao has suffered from depression ever since her parents split, an ailment doctors say can affect the production of growth hormone even to the point of slowing a person's physical growth.
Now we can't confirm the accuracy or science behind any of this. But that doesn't take away from the power of Xiao's heartbreaking story. The awful truth is that divorce does tend to damage the kids, or at least affect their emotional and, it seems, physical development.
Yours truly had front row seats to a painful separation and divorce as a child which left emotional scars that may never completely heal. It's important to remember, however, that bearing witness to divorce will likely do less harm to a child than witnessing a lifetime of family dysfunction.
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Remember the British grandmother we told you about several months back? The plucky 51-year-old who decided to marry Osama bin Laden's youngest son, 25 years her junior?
Well, thinks didn't work out. Under the threat of murder and the disapproval of Osama's influential Saudi family, Jane Felix-Browne has thrown in the towel and decided to divorce the 26-year-old Omar.
"We are both in fear of our lives," she tells the British paper the Sun. "It was a really, really good marriage, a strong marriage," she says. "But I cannot stand by and watch my beloved husband die before my very eyes. I love him enough to let him go. I want him and his son, who is just three, to return to as normal a life as possible.
According to Jane, Osama's family had been humiliated by their marriage, and were threatening to have Omar imprisoned in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he runs his scrap metal dealership.
In a desperate move to save their marriage, Jane, a Parish councilor from Moulton, Cheshire, wrote to Saudi Arabia's king last week for help, but has received no reply.
"I will never marry again," Jane says. "My heart will always be with Omar and I will take my love for him to the grave."
We would have loved for dear old Jane to get her happy ending. But, as Shakespeare illustrated so well in Romeo and Juliet, sometimes outside forces do triumph over — well, if not love, than at least good sex with a wealthy 26-year-old.
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Charlie Sheen is seriously paying for his sins of the ‘80s at the hand of ex Denise Richards. Now the out-of-work actress is trying to take away Sheen's overnight privileges with the couple's two daughters, and airing some foul-smelling laundry to do it.
According to court papers filed by Richards this week and obtained by Access Hollywood, Sheen is still exhibiting "inappropriate behavior... and conduct," including "his attraction to underage women and his sexual explicitness on the Internet, including revealing his private parts."
Richards' criticism extends to Sheen's new fiancée, Brooke Mueller, who, according to Richards, drummed up press for her marriage with Sheen at the expense of the children. In the filing, Richards claims Sheen and Mueller told her they "did it for the press... he wanted to get the cover of People and Us magazine."
Richards even managed to bring her nanny into the action. In a declaration included in the court filing, the nanny, Diana Alvarez claims she witnessed Sheen hitting the family dogs, and threatening to hit the couple's daughter Sam. Alvarez also alleges Sheen "yells... and routinely curses" in front of the children, and "completely ignores" the youngest daughter Lola.
Just so we're on the same page, last month Richards was lambasting Sheen for his lack of discretion because of statements he made in the press. This is just more proof that basic principals of reason go entirely out the door during a nasty divorce. There is no way we've heard the last from Richards on this one, as the out-of-work actor has plenty of time on her hands to make life miserable for Sheen.
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These are just a few things that — if we were advising Britney Spears — we might suggest to distract the world from her recent "comeback" at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Sadly, though, the queen of pop, as in the sound something makes when it explodes, collapses, or "snaps," has decided to refocus her attention — and the media circus that follows her every move — on K-Fed. Terrific.
Out of the blue, Spears has called for a meeting with her grub-like ex to bring some closure to their divorce and custody settlement.
She wants to "put an end to this public debacle," a source close to Spears is telling People magazine.
Good luck with that.
True to form, the Fed is reportedly holding out for more cash. "Kevin [has] refused," the source tells People. "He needs more money so he's determined to win this."
Spears already pays Federline $20,000 a month in spousal support, but the aspiring pimp is reportedly broke as a result of 'business expenses,' according to court documents filed in August.
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That's why it's so hard to now learn — after nearly a year of silence - how Witherspoon was so completely overwhelmed by her split from fellow actor Ryan Phillippe.
"Right around Christmastime I was sitting in a parking lot and I felt like I just couldn't get out of the car," she says in the October issue of Elle magazine. "And I thought, OK, half of the parking lot has dealt with [a breakup]."
"There's this moment in Walk the Line where June Carter says, 'I was never aware of how much I was seen.' I was very aware of how much I was seen. It was this moment of self-discovery and loss of identity and who was stepping out of the car — you know?"
It's easy to recommend wearing divorce like a loose garment, but the impracticality of that exercise only hits home when we hear of someone as strong as Witherspoon wilting under the pressure.
On top of all the lawyers, the fighting and the bitterness, there's that realization that divorce has become part of your identity — ingrained in your being. Sure, Witherspoon literally had the world watching on, but divorce, as her experience shows, can overwhelm even the best of us.
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Resolution seems to have finally arrived for golfer Greg Norman and his wife of 25-years, Laura.
The two — who've been slogging through a nasty $500 million divorce — signed divorce papers this week in a Florida court, and agreed to divide their vast business empire.
While the terms of the deal remain sealed, Laura stands to receive the proceeds from the sale of their $21-million Jupiter Island mansion in Florida, along with a share of Norman's $500-million fortune.
Last we heard from these two, their camps were battling over arguably defamatory accusations that Norman had cut off Laura from her home and credit cards.
Some minor matters are yet to be resolved — like who's responsible for the tax liability on their private jet — but the ex-pair seem ready to put the whole mess behind them. Press reports noted both Norman and Laura appeared emotionally shaken in court. With the heat of the battle over, it looks like these two are beaten and bruised.
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It appears - at least during Shaq's engagement to his soon-to-be-ex-wife Shaunie - the NBA star was spending some serious quality time with Karinne Steffans, the infamous "Video Vixen" who's been indulged by a list of celebs, including Jay-Z and Usher.
"On the first date, he gave me $10,000," Steffans told The New York Daily News. "Over four months, [he spent] more than $40,000 on me, as far as I can remember."
Coming out swinging, Shaq is accusing Shaunie of being "secretive about her assets," according to a petition filed by his lawyer, Ira Elegant, in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on Tuesday.
The petition also requests that the court require Shaunie to give a "correct accounting of all money, funds, stocks, bonds, and other securities (including bearer securities)" obtained during their marriage. An existing pre-nuptial already "contains extensive provisions providing for confidentiality and non-disclosure," according to the petition.
We're dying to see what comes to light tomorrow. We're just hoping that Shaunie's lawyers are as well prepared to deal with whatever new revelations should service in the coming day and months. Particularly with Steffans now involved, we know which team we're rooting for. Go, Shaunie! Go!
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By the looks of it, Shaq, 35, was well prepared for his eventual spit from Shaunie, 32 who was his long-term girlfriend before the two made it official in late 2002. The couple's home, on Miami Beach's exclusive Star Island, was already up for sale for $32 million.
An existing pre-nuptial "contains extensive provisions providing for confidentiality and non-disclosure," according to a petition filed by O'Neal's lawyer, Ira Elegant, in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on Tuesday.
Ready to play hardball, Shaq — who makes a cool $20 million a year playing for the Miami Heat — said in the petition that Shaunie has been "secretive about her assets ... particularly with respect to certain properties owned or titled in either [her] name alone or in other entities." The petition requests that the court require Shaunie to give a "correct accounting of all money, funds, stocks, bonds, and other securities (including bearer securities)" obtained during their marriage.
Personally, we wouldn't want to tangle with someone of Shaq's superhuman girth, but Shaunie is obviously a tough cookie. A lesser woman would never have made it this far with the O'Neal. Either way, Shaunie and the kids will be well cared for. The fight, if there is one, will likely be had over the terms of that care.
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Richards is screaming bloody murder over a statement Sheen sent out earlier this week concerning their ongoing custody battle, telling the TV show "Extra": "I was disappointed to learn of my ex-husband Charlie Sheen's current statement regarding our personal affairs. This was and should still be a private matter that we as responsible parents settled privately."
Sheen's earlier statement expressed frustration over the type of supervision that Richards is subjecting him to when his daughters come to visit. "Until I'm granted the ability to hire my own nanny, she is required to provide one and I was terribly insulted that she felt her ‘assistant' was a suitable replacement."
Sheen went on to label his ex's actions as "transparent and unnecessary sanctions, that have nothing to do with responsible co-parenting and everything to do with punishment and control," adding, "As long as I am forced to live under these conditions with my children, people are going to hear about it."
A couple of weeks ago, Sheen alleged Richards is making it difficult for him to have more a more open custody arrangement with the couple's two daughters because she wants another baby with him. Sheen is about to be remarried. Maybe that's another reason why Richards is so upset.
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