To marry or to divorce? This was the big question for many of the Middle East's roving bachelor and smug married celeb-set this year, and these 'snap decisions' were taken quicker than you can say “I do.” The cupids won out though, there were more wedding bells than violin strings logged on Al Bawaba's love file of 2013.
Superstar marriages are often taken with a pinch of salt by the general public or given 'less than a year' ; they’re seen as precarious at best or a simple publicity stunt at worst. Some psychologists suggest stars are addicted to the high of infatuation but move on once the love drug has worn off. Arab celeb love lifes are that much harder to monitor given the secrecy that is courted in a conservative culture that extends even into the ranks of the celebrity crazies.
Getting married in the 'public' eye can’t be easy, we’ll give them that, but it’s pretty pitiful when a marriage surviving five years yells for the same accolade as a Joe Blog’s 50th anniversary bash. Celebs may have the fairytale ending in their films, but their private reality is all too often less likely to give us happily ever after story-lines. That is if we can track them at all -- with the 'down-low' a significant factor for stars in MENA, and a media that often leaks surreptitious and clandestine marriages (especially where pregnancy comes to the surface), we may never even know the start and finish line of the love lives of the stars. Announcements after the act are often the norm -- a far cry from the Hello magazine exclusive.
If Kim Kardashian’s trifling 72 hour status as a Mrs. is any indicator of how holy matrimony goes down for stars, then our region’s copy-cat celebrities (often seen to be emulating the western counterparts) are in dire straits indeed. More interestingly for our region -- given that Ms. K is trying her luck at love again-- will she tie the knot in our neck of the woods this time?
In honor of Carole Samaha’s recent nuptials, here’s a look at Arab stars who have said “I do” or “I don’t think so anymore” to their spouses this year. Do marriages in this conservative corner of the world stand more of a chance for the long-haul due to a society that yields to an abiding family culture? Or are they, like our Hollywood hotties, getting through love-affairs like new mobile phones? You decide!
Without further ado, here’s what you need to know about the marital shelf life of our more candid VIP set this year. We'll leave it for you to judge if there’s any improvement from those of last year!
