Katherine’s first encounter with Damian as her high school sweetheart. They had a rocky road that eventually ended in their divorce. Now in their late 40s, they were forced to confront an uncomfortable reality. Katherine’s chronic struggle with mental health challenges and her new diagnosis of cancer had taken its toll on their marriage. Through it all, the couple has earned a reputation for one of Hollywood’s strongest friendships and most amicable post-marriage friendships.
Though Katherine was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 35, the disorder added tremendous strain to their marriage. She shared her experiences, stating, “I had been exhibiting depressive and manic episodes for a long time.” Living with these conditions proved to be taxing on their relationship, and Katherine acknowledged that “living with someone who has mental illness can be really taxing on a marriage.”
Their struggles only worsened when Katherine found herself fighting cancer. She experienced over 30 surgeries and treatments. Unfortunately, she had to leave the family home for six months to recover. This time became a pivot point in their lives, as they were never to live together again after that first separation.
At great personal sacrifice, even five years after her remission began, Katherine continues to incur medical costs stemming from her serious health crisis. She worried that at least her future medical expenses would be covered. She said they were often overlooked in conversations about assets. Katherine stated, “The division of assets is something that still plays on my mind.”
In spite of these challenges, Katherine and Damian were able to part ways with an amicable, respectful spirit. They agreed on an equal division of their assets, crediting their effective uncoupling to clear communication and mutual trust. What meagre amount we did have was equally shared, to which Damian quipped, shining a light on their personal finance practices.
Katherine and Damian’s like-mindedness when it came to money created a safe space in their relationship to talk candidly about their financial situation. At first in their relationship, they discussed their net worth candidly. That initial conversation helped determine how they would approach future decisions throughout the divorce proceedings. Katherine knew, as they both neared their 40s, that something needed to give. They had both decided that splitting up would be the healthiest option for their friendship and family. She reflected on this pivotal decision, saying, “By the time we were in our late 40s… we had decided that it was probably best for our friendship and for our family unit that we would separate.”
Striving to keep a solid friendship after the divorce has been key for Katherine and Damian. Recently, they’ve underscored the need for trust and transparency in walking other couples through their process of splitting assets but maintaining a cooperative bond. Damian expressed his sentiment about wanting to treat each other fairly: “I don’t think we’d ever want to do anything wrong by each other.”
