5 Surprising Celebrity Year-End Splits

Celebrity splits that surprised us as 2014 came to a close.

ByABC News
December 31, 2014, 3:12 PM
Chris Rock in New York City, Dec. 3, 2014. | Giada De Laurentiis in Arcadia, Calif., Nov. 1, 2014. | Tim Burton in New York City, Dec. 12, 2014.
Chris Rock in New York City, Dec. 3, 2014. | Giada De Laurentiis in Arcadia, Calif., Nov. 1, 2014. | Tim Burton in New York City, Dec. 12, 2014.
Rob Kim/Getty Images | Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images | daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images

— -- intro: Brand new year, brand new start.

That may be the thinking for a surprising number of celebrities who called it quits on their marriages and long-time relationships as 2014 comes to a close. For several stars, it was the end of a long relationship. Another called time before celebrating his first anniversary. Still others, never even made it down the aisle.

Here are some of the year-end splits that caught us by surprise.

quicklist:title: Chris Rock and Malaak Compton-Rocktext: Chris Rock and his wife of 19 years, Malaak Compton-Rock announced they were ending their marriage on Monday. "Chris Rock has filed for divorce from his wife, Malaak," the "Top Five" star's lawyer, Robert Cohen, told ABC News. "This is a personal matter and Chris requests privacy as he and Malaak work through this process and focus on their family." Already there are signs that the divorce could get messy. In papers filed Dec. 23, Rock claims that his soon-to-be ex-wife has kept their daughters, Lola, 12, and Zahra, 10, away from him. She denied his claim in a statement to People through her attorney, "Malaak is saddened and disappointed that Chris has accused her of keeping their children from him, which he knows is untrue and can be so easily disproved."media: 27866745

quicklist:title: Giada De Laurentiis and Todd Thompsontext: Also on Monday, celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis announced that she had separated from her husband Todd Thompson after 11 years of marriage. "Although our decision to separate comes with a great deal of sadness, our focus on the future and overwhelming desire for our family's happiness has given us the strength to move forward on separate, yet always connected paths," the Food Network star wrote on Facebook. "Todd and I share a beautiful daughter and a lifetime of great memories that we both treasure more than anything. We are so thankful for our friends and family, and really appreciate the support in this time of change."media: 27930912

quicklist:title: Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burtontext: Famed movie director Tim Burton and actress Helena Bonham Carter also called it quits earlier this month after more than a decade together. The two began dating in the early 2000s and are parents to their son Billy Raymond, 11, and daughter Nell, 7. "Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter separated amicably earlier this year and have continued to be friends and co-parent their children," Carter's rep told ABC News via a statement on Dec. 23.media: 27930023

quicklist:title: Jeremy Renner and Sonni Pachecotext: It was only in September that actor Jeremy Renner revealed that he had been secretly married to model Sonni Pacheco, the mother of his daughter, Ava Berlin Renner, since January. But by year's end, Pacheco had filed for divorce. According to court documents filed in Los Angeles on Dec. 5 and obtained by The Associated Press, Pacheco cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the separation. She was also seeking the return of her stolen passport, birth certificate, and Social Security card as well as invalidation of their prenuptial agreement based on fraud.media: 27930655

quicklist:title: Kate Hudson and Matt Bellamytext: Actress Kate Hudson and Muse singer Matt Bellamy never made it down the aisle. The couple, who were together four years and became engaged in April 2011, with son Bingham born just a few months later that July, announced they had ended their engagement earlier this month. "Kate and Matt have been separated for some time now," Hudson's rep told People magazine Dec. 8. "Despite this, they remain very close friends and committed co-parents." Hudson was previously married to Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson, with whom she has son Ryder, 10.media: 27930581