SI.com takes a look back at our favorite marriages between celebs and athletes that turned south.
Marilyn Monroe & Joe DiMaggio
Married: January 1954
Divorced: October 1954
Source of the friction
It seemed a mismatch from the start, the stoic, private DiMaggio and the bubbly sex-kitten Monroe. Yet, the irony remains that of all of Monroe's lovers, DiMaggio was one of the few who loved her for herself.
She said
Depending on where you read it, something to the effect of, "Oh, Joe, you've never heard such cheering!"
He said
Depending on where you read it, something to the effect of, "Yes ... I have."
Post-divorce paths
Monroe's shooting star burned out quickly and she died of an apparent overdose eight years after the divorce. Some -- including DiMaggio, by some accounts -- felt her death was more than an accident, a conspiracy reaching as far as the Mafia and the White House.
Halle Berry & David Justice
Married: 1993
Divorced: 1997
Source of the friction
She said she caught him cheating and that he was abusive. He said he wasn't abusive. He said she was the cheater, throwing out names like Eddie Murphy and Wesley Snipes. She said she wasn't abusive, either.
She said
"It beat me down to the lowest of lows. The gum on the bottom of David's shoes, that's what I felt like."
He said
"Oh no, I don't hate her. I really feel sorry for her, because I don't think that she has anyone in her life telling her the right things."
Post-divorce paths
Berry said she tried to kill herself after the divorce, but she reconciled her feelings about several past relationships and went on to win an Oscar in 2002. Justice, who had won a World Series title with Atlanta in 1995 while married, went on the DL the day after the divorce became official. He did earn another ring with the Yankees in 2000, but he retired this offseason, just as Berry's career appears to be dawning.
Carmen Electra & Dennis Rodman
Married: November 1998
Divorced: April 1999
Source of the friction
He said he married her during a drunken binge in Vegas. She said his whole life is a drunken binge in Vegas. What's scary is that they both mean that in a good way. Rodman said he would file for an annulment 10 days after the wedding, but never did. But by April, Electra had filed for divorce ... though they still loved each other. That was apparent in November 1999, perhaps celebrating what would have been their first anniversary, the two were arrested in a Miami hotel after a loud and vicious fight. Rodman was released after police delivered his message of love to Electra. Awwwwww.
She said
"We did what any two people in love would do ... we got married,
and for some reason everyone wanted to put their two cents in,
but as far as we're concerned, we're doing great."
He said
"Whatever anybody said -- she conned me or anything like that -- I don't
think you have to be intoxicated or drunk to marry someone as
beautiful as Carmen Electra."
Post-divorce paths
Rodman had short-lived appearances with the Mavericks and Lakers, but now devotes himself full-time to partying, getting arrested and answering to lawsuits. Electra is still cultivating that acting career. Recent roles include ... nothing you've seen. Though the International Movie Data Base fills us with anticipation of her upcoming roles in Naked Movie and Lil' Pimp. As with most of their occasional scrapes, we'll call the Rodmans' parting a draw.
Robin Givens & Mike Tyson
Married: February 1988
Divorced: February 1989
Source of the friction
Sitting down with Barbara Walters, with Iron Mike at her side, Givens revealed the cloud of fear under which she was living. She said Tyson's explosive temper and menacing demeanor caused her severe distress. She also said he alternated between being homicidal and suicidal ... which can make for a tense time at most neighborhood block parties. Tyson's feeling was that Givens and her mother were trying to separate him from his crowd, trying to run his life and take his money.
She said
"It's been torture ... pure hell ... worse than anything I could possibly imagine."
He said
"In Hollywood, you make money by being the best person or the worst person in the world, and she's making a lot of money being a bitch."
Post-divorce paths
Neither reached greater heights than from before they met. Tyson went on to lose his heavyweight crown, go to jail on a rape conviction, bite off Evander Holyfield's ear and generally become a side show freak. Givens' acting pinnacle appears to have been Head of the Class -- which is a pretty low barometer. However, she did, of all things, go on to host a TV show in Indianapolis called Forgive and Forget, on which couples air grievances and attempt reconciliation.
Brigitte Nielsen & Mark Gastineau
Married: Tricked you ... they never got married
Divorced: Well, parted, in spring of 1990
Source of the friction
He quit football to help her through her battle with cancer ... which she didn't have. It didn't help that he was compulsively abusive (or that he shaved his body and wore fur coats).
She said
Tough to find a quote from Nielsen, but we will say this: She did tattoo Gastineau's name on her butt ... and a picture is worth a 1,000 words.
He said
"When I was sacking the quarterback, I was serving myself. Now I'm serving God and I'm sacking Satan. I thought that Mark Gastineau was God, for a while. Now I'm learning to put the Lord first, my wife second and money third."
Post-divorce paths
He did a couple stints at Rikers Island. She made a movie with Corey Feldman. Pick 'em.
Tatum O'Neal & John McEnroe
Married: 1986
Divorced: 1994
Source of the friction
Once upon a time, their shared self-destructive tendencies brought them together. But in the end, get this, McEnroe found O'Neal's fast lane to be too fast.
She said
"I've had a lot of experience with men who are bullies. Taking on John McEnroe was the biggest struggle of my life."
He said
"How bad was the divorce? I don't know -- how you can describe these things? It was as bad as divorces are."
Post-divorce paths
McEnroe is married to Patty Smyth, rocks out in a band, owns an art gallery and does tennis commentary on TV. O'Neal sure was cute in Paper Moon. Since then, she makes a movie about every three years, but nothing you've seen since Little Darlings in 1980.
