The 5 Reasons Why Brad and Angelina Didn't Make It

It's been a rough week: Brad and Angelina split up. Being a relationship therapist, I can't say I was surprised by their separation.I wondered why so many people were "devastated." Is it because they looked like the perfect couple? Because we have no great role models to emulate? Or because we like to believe in fairy tales?Celebrity marriages have so much going against them. It's an exception when they do last. They are held to such a high standard, as if they are different from the average couple. I'm sure Angelina and Brad had issues around communication, resolving conflict, money and sex, like the rest of us.Here are the additional five reasons the odds were stacked against their marriage succeeding:1. Starting as an AffairThe fact that their marriage began as an affair put them at higher risk of divorce from the start. How do you trust your partner when your relationship starts as a secret?2. Being a CelebrityIn addition to the "normal stuff," they had to deal with living under a microscope; no privacy, media and tabloid attention, paparazzi everywhere, looking beautiful 24/7, temptation all around, access to alcohol and drugs.3. Having Lots of ChildrenHere come the kids... They adopted Maddox in 2005 and Zahara in 2006; Shiloh was born in 2006; Pax was adopted in 2007; twins, Vivienne and Knox, were born in 2008. That's six children added to the family in the span of three years! No more explanation needed.4. Managing NanniesI read that for each child, they had a nanny from that child's country of origin. At first glance, I thought, "How nice. What a great way to teach them about diversity." Then I thought, "Can you imagine supervising an army of nannies in addition to six children? So many different personalities. So many different cultures." I'm exhausted thinking about it.5. Having a Health CrisisSadly, Angelina had a health crisis when she discovered she carried a breast cancer gene, BRCA1, which put her at an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer over her lifetime. Her mother died of breast and ovarian cancer at age 56. Angelina made a proactive decision to have a double mastectomy and a total hysterectomy in 2013. This is beyond stressful in itself.Looking at all these facts the surprise is that their marriage lasted this long. I just hope they work through their divorce with the help of mediators as opposed to having a custody battle. There is nothing worse for children.Image Source Time Inc