Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin Tried to Save Marriage for Their Kids: ‘We Did Not Want to Fail’

When Gwyneth Paltrow came to the realization that her marriage with ex-husband Chris Martin was over, her thoughts immediately went to their two kids. In a new essay, the Goop founder revealed the former pair tried to save their relationship for their children because they “did not want to fail” daughter Apple and son Moses.

“My ex and I had always been friends. We laughed at the same things, shared a funny bones humor, impressions, utter silliness,” the 47-year-old actress wrote for British Vogue’s September issue. “We were moved by the same qualities in music: beautiful chords, innovation, harmonies. Peter Gabriel, Chopin, Sigur Rós – though I listened for pleasure and he like he was studying for an exam.”

As Gwyn recalled her favorite things to do with the Coldplay frontman, 43 — including “walking to and from Osteria Basilico through the park for pizza” and “road trips to the New Forest or to the seaside” — she noted how Apple, 16, and Moses, 14, were always the couple’s No. 1 priority.

“Most of all, we loved our children,” she gushed. “We were close, though we had never fully settled into being a couple. We just didn’t quite fit together. There was always a bit of unease and unrest. But man, did we love our children.”

Gwyn and Chris were together for nearly 15 years before they called it quits. The Hollywood duo tied the knot in 2003, but ended their marriage with a divorce in 2016. Despite going their separate ways, the Iron Man star insisted they “tried everything” to save their relationship.

“We did not want to fail. We didn’t want to let anyone down. We desperately didn’t want to hurt our children,” she emotionally penned. “We didn’t want to lose our family. The questions, both philosophical and tactical, seemed unfathomable: who sleeps where, how does bath time work, what do we say to the kids?”

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In order to “avoid answering” those questions, Gwyn said she “bent [herself] into every imaginable shape” to make their marriage work. “But one day, despite all our efforts, I found that I was not at a fork in the road,” she noted. “I was well down a path. Almost without realizing it, we had diverged. We’d never find ourselves together in that way again.”

Fortunately, Gwyn and Chris have mastered coparenting their children since they made the decision to “consciously uncouple.” The two have also remained on good terms after the Shakespeare in Love alum married her second husband, Brad Falchuk, in 2018. As for Chris, the iconic singer has been dating actress Dakota Johnson since 2017.

Together or not, there’s no doubt Chris will always remain one of the most important people in Gwyn’s life. “I know my ex-husband was meant to be the father of my children,” she sweetly wrote, “and I know my current husband is meant to be the person I grow very old with.”

Apple and Moses are so lucky to have Gwyn and Chris as their mom and dad.