Katy Perry and Russell Brand's whirlwind marriage was short and anything but sweet.
The couple met at the VMAs in 2008, and Russell told the Metro that it was Katy's "mouthy, smart and cocky" personality that sparked his interest.
They had their first date in September 2009, and it was on their way home that Russell told the Coronation concert performer: "You're a mermaid and I'm drowning," before gifting her with a sensational black diamond necklace.
Just three months later, he presented her with another jewel when he got down on one knee and proposed in a tent at the foot of a mountain in India on New Year's Eve.
That October, the duo married in a lavish Indian ceremony, where they got matching 'Anuugacchati Pravaha' tattoos, translated as 'go with the flow'.
"[Marriage is] at once the most mundane and spectacular thing in the world," Russell later told Details magazine in March 2011.
But rumours of trouble in paradise soon began to swirl, with the pair reportedly butting heads over their opposing lifestyles.
Recovered drug addict Russell, then 36, was allegedly envious of Katy's superstar status, with the singer accusing him of struggling to cope with her being in charge.
Katy, then 25, documented their rows when she set off on her mammoth 122-date California Dreams tour. The accompanying Part Of Me documentary showed her repeatedly curled up crying in her dressing room.
A source told The Mirror at the time they quickly realised they had 'nothing in common'.
"Russell left his party lifestyle behind a long time ago because it nearly killed him. All he wanted to do is stay at home, do his yoga, keep his demons away and have a family with Katy," the source said.
"But when Katy had rare time off from her touring all she wanted to do was go out partying in Hollywood.
"After the high of the wedding, reality kicked in. Katy was away all the time and she became more and more successful. She is doing so well and Russell couldn't handle it."
While Katy's fame grew, Russell wanted to settle down and have children, which Katy claimed was 'controlling'.
"[Russell] really wanted me to have children, and I knew I wasn't ready - I think it was a way of control," Katy told Marie Claire.
"I think it was part of, if I have a kid, then I would have to sacrifice - I'd have to be home more."
They apparently tried therapy and marriage counselling and comedian David Badiel - who attended their wedding - said the warning signs had been there before they even got hitched.
He once recalled: "I was there... Russell did tell me that they had a big row the night before they got married.
"I did think when he said that, of asking, 'Are you sure?' but I didn't say that. Perhaps I should have done."
When Katy turned up at her husband's stand-up gig to surprise him, she found him making jokes about their marriage, but she didn't see the funny side.
"At first when I met him he wanted an equal, and I think a lot of times strong men do want an equal, but then they get that equal and they're like, I can't handle the equalness," she later told Vogue.
"He didn't like the atmosphere of me being the boss on tour. So that was really hurtful."
It was claimed they drafted statements announcing plans to take time apart twice, but withdrew them at the last minute.
Things finally came to a head when Katy gave Russell her wedding ring back after a huge row before Christmas.
A source told The Mirror that Russell responded by flying back to London with his mum Barbara while she flew to Hawaii with friends and turned her phone off, further inflaming the situation.
Katy had apparently only meant to call his bluff, but instead Russell blindsided her by filing for divorce and informing her by text on New Year's Eve.
"Katy was surprised that Russell didn't come running back but she had met her match. They are both strong-willed people and there has been a lot of game-playing going on," the insider said.
In a statement to US Weekly, Russell said: "Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage. I'll always adore her and I know we'll remain friends."
Despite the writing being on the wall, Katy was devastated, telling the Sunday Times in 2013 that she "got a good knock".
"I was in bed for about two weeks. I was pretty f**ked, yes. It hurt a lot," explained the star, who reportedly retaliated by taunting vegan Russell with a picture of a half-eaten Big Mac.
She continued: "Unfortunately, although I had the outward self-identity, I didn't have the inner kind, I hadn't built that up.
"My self-worth was in someone else's hands which is never a good idea, because it can be taken from you at any time. And it was, and it was shattered."
Meanwhile, Russell blamed her pop career for the split, blasting: "I'm associated with the very thing I detest: vapid vacuous, plastic, constructed, mindless celebrity."
But there was no going back and Katy famously signed off her divorce papers with a heart and a smiley face.
In 2013, Katy told Vogue: "He's a very smart man, and I was in love with him when I married him. Let's just say I haven't heard from him since he texted me saying he was divorcing me December 31, 2011."
The twosome did eventually find their happy endings, with Katy falling for Orlando Bloom in 2016 and welcoming their first child, Daisy, in August 2020.
Shortly after, Katy reflected on her marriage to Russell when she told 60 Minutes Australia: "I was having great success at 23, 24 and 25, and then I met someone that was interesting and stimulating.
"It was just like a tornado. It was everything happening once... I have always resonated with friction and resistance and challenges."
She described her romance with Orlando as "healthy frictional. It's very open, very communicative, nothing is swept under the mat."
Russell married on-and-off yoga teacher Laura Gallacher in 2015 and went on to have two daughters together, Mabel and Peggy - though has since spoke highly of his ex.
"I have come away from that experience and I still feel very warm towards her," he said in 2017.
"When I hear about her or see her, I think 'Ah, there's that person, that person in the world.'"
