14 DAY TRIAL // For the first time since they announced their “conscious uncoupling” on March 25, Chris Martin is opening up about what went wrong in his 11-year marriage to Gwyneth Paltrow, in an interview with Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1 – and he seems to take all the blame for not making the relationship work.
Since the announcement, much has been said and written about what could have happened to make one of the most solid couples in showbiz decide to go their separate ways, with most reports pointing the finger at Gwyneth.
Among the most circulated theories was the one according to which Paltrow ruled the marriage with an iron fist and called the shots on everything from Martin’s music career to his diet, the kids’ education and diet, and who they could all socialize with or not. In the end, it was said, Chris could simply not take it anymore, so he packed up and left.
In the BBC interview, excerpts of which were obtained by the Daily Mail, Martin doesn’t go into specifics (he doesn’t even mention his wife by name) but, speaking of “Ghost Story,” he makes a connection between a down point in his life and how it wrecked his personal life.
“About two years ago I was a mess really because I can't enjoy the thing that we are good at and I can't enjoy the great things around me because I'm burdened by this. I've got to not blame anyone else and make some changes. I wouldn’t use the word breakdown, this was more a realization about trying to grow up basically,” he explains.
“If you can’t open yourself up, you can’t appreciate the wonder inside. So you can be with someone very wonderful, but because of your own issues you cannot let that be celebrated in the right way. What changed for me was – I don’t want to go through life being scared of it, being scared of love, being scared of rejection, being scared of failure,” Martin continues.
He speaks of “problems” and pain and love, and how he was suddenly in a position in which he had to reconsider everything he thought he knew in life.
As hinted in the teaser for the interview released on Saturday, knowing that he can’t possibly avoid the divorce questions when he has a tour to promote, Chris Martin is playing this by the book. It’s refreshing to see a celebrity actually refuse to engage in the drama and to feed the rumor mill by trashing an ex, which has become a practice for many other stars.
The full BBC Radio 1 interview will air today.