Why Miley and Liam’s split shouldn’t shock us

While many were taken aback by the announcement of Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth’s separation, it turns out there was one obvious clue the marriage was headed that way all along, writes Katy Hall.

As the world mourns the end of yet another seemingly golden Hollywood love story, the question on the lips of anyone who cares seems to be how Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus could have possibly fallen out of love.

And during the first year of marriage, no less.

Looking back on their respective Instagram feeds, it appeared that the couple had it all. Their careers were soaring; their rescue pets were living their best lives; they went on lots of very expensive and glamorous holidays!

So when a rep for the couple released a statement over the weekend announcing the pair were going their own ways after close to 11 years together, many fans of the couple were left dumbfounded.

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“Liam and Miley have agreed to separate at this time. Ever-evolving, changing as partners and individuals, they have decided this is what’s best while they both focus on themselves and careers. They still remain dedicated parents to all of their animals they share while lovingly taking this time apart. Please respect their process and privacy,” the statement read.

After almost 11 years together Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth have announced their split. Picture: Charles Sykes/AP

For a lot of people, the world’s reaction to this separation seems somewhat mystifying. After all, celebrities get together and break up all the time. What makes a former Disney actor turned global pop star and an Aussie boy done good all that different or unique? In a lot of ways, nothing. But in so many other ways, Hemsworth and Cyrus were pin-ups for the modern millennial relationship in which marriage no longer begins with a trip down the aisle.

After getting engaged four years into dating — when Cyrus was just 19 and Hemsworth was 22 — the couple seemingly felt no pressure or time constraints to actually get hitched. Instead, they did what many couples now do and existed in a kind of defacto status until a time they decided to make their relationship slightly more legally binding than it had been the day before.

RELATED: Miley Cyrus breaks silence after shock split from Liam Hemsworth

During these years, Hemsworth and Cyrus lived together, worked together, travelled together, cared for pets together, purchased multiple homes together, became part of one another’s families, were madly in love and took extended breaks apart from one another. In other words, they behaved like a married couple.

The couple began dating when Hemsworth was 18 and Cyrus was 16. Picture: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

So yes, technically they were legally wedded for less than a year. But altogether, they stuck at it for close to 12 years, which, depending on how deep into coincidences versus conspiracy theories you want to get, is also the average lifespan of a marriage today.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, it’s at the 12-year mark that the majority of couples bow out, cite irreconcilable differences, and decide to go their separate ways.

Why it’s 12 years and not 24 is anyone’s guess, but it’s clear that celebrities are no more or less likely to fall into these categories than the rest of us. If anything, the fact that Hemsworth and Cyrus managed to last so long while facing the pressures of fame and growing up in the limelight is highly commendable. Let’s not forget that Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries only lasted 72 days.

But if one thing is for sure when it comes to Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, it’s that we should never say never to a reconciliation in the future. Who knows, in another 12 years they could be back together.

@katyhallway

Originally published as Why Miley and Liam’s split shouldn’t shock us