The curse of the golden statuette strikes again

THE Oscar curse has struck yet another Hollywood marriage.

Statisticians and those of a superstitious nature have been poring over the circumstances of Reese Witherspoon’s broken marriage this week, finding similarities to failed relationships that have preceded hers.

Their carefully constructed conclusions have centred on the fact that only two of the Best Actress Oscar winners over the last ten years have avoided a divorce or split from a husband or partner in the immediate aftermath of winning the prestigious golden statuette.

Following this week’s announcement that the Walk the Line star was separating from her actor husband Ryan Phillipe after seven years of marriage, the charter of failed marriages and relationships over the last decade has been redrafted.

On the list of explanations for each breakdown, jealousy normally prevails.

Observers now cite Witherspoon, possibly the highest-paid actress of all time, as their classic case study.

Although some observers claim that the curse first came to attention in 1938 when the Best Actress Bette Davis commented that the nude statuette’s bottom reminded her of her husband and she subsequently separated a year later, the phenomenon has only been scrutinised and detailed in recent years.

Today, the superstitious belive that the Oscar, lauded for the power and fame it brings, should come with a marriage warning.

Two years after winning an Oscar for “As Good as it Gets“, Helen Hunt divorced from her husband.

On winning her first Oscar in 1999 for “Boys Don’t Cry“, Hilary Swank famously forgot to thank her husband Chad Lowe and spent numerous public appearances thereafter apologising for the omission.

On winning her second Oscar in 2005 for “Million Dollar Baby“, Lowe was the first person she thanked, but months later, the couple separated and announced their divorce earlier this year. Halle Berry’s marriage followed a similar fate, just three years after winning an Oscar for “Monster’s Ball“.

Even the leading ladies who were unmarried on winning an Oscar have experienced the infamous curse. Gwyneth Paltrow’s two-year relationship with actor Ben Affleck ended shortly after her long and tearful acceptance speech at the Oscars.

America’s sweetheart Julia Robert split from her boyfriend of four years only three months after winning the Oscar for her “Erin Brockovich” performance.

The two exceptions, which cast a shadow on the complete validity of the so-called “Oscar curse” have been Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron, although both were engulfed in speculation about their relationships at the time of their Oscar awards.