10 Surprising Celeb Spring Splits

May 5, 2010— -- With spring in the air, both sexes are donning less clothing for the hotter weather and almost everyone's eyes are wandering -- especially in Hollywood.

This spring alone, more than 10 Hollywood couples have split, making everyone wonder what it is about Tinseltown that has seemingly strong relationships dying.

Couples who have been together for a long time, such as Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, and Melissa Etheridge and Tammy Michaels Etheridge, have split. And some short-term relationships that seemed to hold promise (Jennifer Love Hewitt and Jamie Kennedy; Paris Hilton and Doug Reinhardt; Mel Gibson and live-in girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva) have ended.

Dr. Carole Lieberman, a Beverly Hills psychiatrist and relationship expert, believes the infectious splitting stems from spring being a time of rebirth.

"In part, one could attribute an increase in breakups to the seasonal desire to spread one's wings, including finding new partners to mate with," Lieberman told ABCNews.com.

Rachel Sussman, a New York City relationship expert, generally agreed that spring represents a time when some want freedom from their current relationship.

"In the winter and the fall, people tend to nest, and in the spring and the summer, they want to get out and see what else could be available to them," Sussman told ABCNews.com. "Sometimes when things are blooming, people look at their partner and say to themselves, 'This is a really good time to be single.'"

Amelia Perry, editor of TheFrisky.com, said that the brightness of spring can illuminate things that may be wrong in a relationship.

"I think that toward the end of winter everybody is sick of being cold and being stuck inside and during that time you can get stuck in a rut with your relationship," Perry said. "I don't think it is any coincidence that people do end relationships in springtime. Spring means getting out and meeting people, which is a bit more fun when you're single."

Below are five of the most recent and headline-grabbing breakups. Perry and Lieberman talked with ABCNews.com about the possible reasons these couples got the spring itch and left their partners.

Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry