Even with our insatiable appetite for celebrity gossip growing, it still amazes me that we believe what we read. We discuss the scandals of the rich and famous, passing commentary and judgements on those that are strangers to us as if we know them. Maybe that's why we mourn their deaths with such emotion.
It may sound hideously jaded but, following years of work within the entertainment industry, you get a feel for the celebrity split announcement template. It's almost as if publicists have a special version of Word where Clippy pops up and says "It looks like you're trying to write a celebrity split statement - would you like some help with that?"