Inside Gwyneth Paltrow's realization of her marriage ending with Chris Martin in Tuscany

Back in 2014, when Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin announced their surprising 'conscious uncoupling' , the world was taken aback. The celebrity pair had been hitched for a decade before making their split public, sharing two children together: Apple, who is now 20 years old, and Moses, aged 18. Everything seemed just fine until Gwyneth made an earth-shattering announcement on her lifestyle website Goop, signaling an end to their union.

In their heartfelt statement, they shared: "It is with hearts full of sadness that we have decided to separate. We have come to the conclusion that while we love each other very much, we will remain separate. We are, however, and always will be a family, and in many ways are closer than we have ever been."

Calling for compassion and respect for their privacy during "this difficult time," the exes expressed their commitment to remaining "parents, first and foremost". They hoped to sustain their discretion as they navigated their breakup and co-parenting responsibilities, thereby introducing the iconic term to the break-up lexicon: "We have always conducted our relationship privately, and we hope to do that as we consciously uncouple and co-parent, we will be able to continue in the same manner."

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Since their separation and official divorce in 2015, Gwyneth and Chris have been seen vacationing together, celebrating birthdays and holidays as a family. Both have found new partners: Gwyneth, 51, tied the knot with film director Brad Falchuk, 53 the creative mind behind American Horror Story, Glee and Scream Queens - in 2018, reports the Mirror .

Chris, 47, is in a relationship with 34-year-old Fifty Shades of Grey actress Dakota Johnson, who even spends time with Gwyneth. In March, the Mirror exclusively reported that Chris and Dakota were engaged after six years of dating.

Although both are content in their new relationships - and with each other - Gwyneth has since reflected on the moment she realized her marriage was over.

Recalling a perfect day with her then-husband, the actress confessed that she knew deep down she wasn't happy.

In a heartfelt revelation for British Vogue, Gwyneth Paltrow shared the moment she realized her marriage was over: "It was my birthday, my 38th. My ex-husband [Chris] and I were tucked away in the Tuscan countryside, on a hill in a beautiful cottage with a view of the forest. Fall was coming; the leaves were just loosening their grip on bright green. Inside, the cottage was perfectly appointed in the way you dream of for a birthday trip: cosy living room with a fireplace, kitchen table overflowing with spoils from the farm nearby peaches, tomatoes on the vine, basil, eggs. I don't recall when it happened, exactly. I don't remember which day of the weekend it was or the time of day. But I knew despite long walks and longer lie-ins, big glasses of Barolo and hands held my marriage was over."

She confided that she kept this painful realization to herself, later disclosing: "It would be years before we said the words aloud", but acknowledged that during that weekend "a dam had cracked just enough to hear the unrelenting trickle of truth". This trickle eventually became an overwhelming reality that she could no longer ignore.

Reflecting on their relationship, Gwyneth noted that she and Chris Martin "always were friends" who found humor in the same things, sharing a love for "funny bones humour" and "utter silliness". Despite their closeness, she confessed: "We were close, though we never fully settled into being a couple. We just didn't quite fit together. There was always a bit of unease and unrest. But man, did we love our children."

The Shallow Hal actress opened up about their intense efforts to hold the family unit together, reflecting that all the divorces she'd witnessed as a kid were "bitter, acrimonious, unending", a path she desperately wanted to avoid "with all my heart".

While many assumed the term 'conscious uncoupling' was coined by Gwyneth and Chris Martin, it turns out it was their therapist's idea, which they put into practice for an entire year in private before going public with their split.

Gwyneth elaborated on the thinking behind the amicable breakup: "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? We decided to try."

Though initially met with a mix of shock and ridicule by the public and press, these days people are more likely to seek her advice on how she successfully navigated such a smooth separation.

She concluded: "It's very different for every couple but, for me, it meant, more than anything, being accountable for my own part in the dissolution of the relationship. There existed aspects of myself I was trying to heal through this relationship that I wasn't honest with myself about. I had been blind, guarded, invulnerable, intolerant. I had to admit that and be brave enough to share it. I know my ex-husband was meant to be the father of my children, and I know my current husband is meant to be the person I grow very old with. Conscious uncoupling lets us recognize those two different loves can coexist and nourish each other."