Gwyneth Paltrow reveals why she referred to Chris Martin split as ‘conscious uncoupling’

‘The term sounded a bit full of itself,’ recalls actor and wellness entrepreneur

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Gwyneth Paltrow has opened up about the end of her marriage to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin in a new essay.

Writing in British Vogue, the actor and Goop founder explained why she famously referred to the split as “conscious uncoupling” when she announced it in 2016.

“I had never heard of the phrase ‘conscious uncoupling’,” Paltrow recalled in the essay.

“Frankly, the term sounded a bit full of itself, painfully progressive and hard to swallow.”

The 47-year-old explained that the phrase was introduced to her through hers and Martin’s therapist, whom she refers to as ”the man who helped us architect our new future”.

Paltrow continued: “I was intrigued, less by the phrase, but by the sentiment.

“Was there a world where we could break up and not lose everything? Could we be a family, even though we were not a couple?”

Recalling the public’s reaction to her use of the phrase, she explained that it “gave way quickly to ire and derision”.

“A strange combination of mockery and anger that I had never seen,” Paltrow added.

“I was already pretty tattered from what had been a tough year. Frankly, the intensity of the response saw me bury my head in the sand deeper than I ever had in my very public life.”

As for ending her marriage with Martin, Paltrow explained that they were always close friends.

“We were close, though we had never fully settled into being a couple. We just didn’t quite fit together,” she wrote.

“There was always a bit of unease and unrest. But man, did we love our children.”

You can read the full essay on Vogue.co.uk here.