They were a breathtaking celebrity couple.
Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci cherished their relationship for 18 years and prided
on their mutual love and affection.
Without warning, the couple announced their divorce, leaving fans confused and Bellucci
completely heartbroken.
Although they separated by “mutual agreement,” was it really true that Cassel had left his
wife for a younger model?
In today’s episode, we’ll uncover what stands behind the divorce behind Cassel and
Bellucci and how the couple coped with this ground-shaking event.
It all started as a classical fairy-tale romance, and there’s nothing like true romance without
an impromptu wedding.
As Vincent described their capital letter day in an interview with Esquire, “How did
I feel on my wedding day?
I was very angry because we had no time to do it so I had to rush around.
It was just the two of us, really.
I was wearing shorts.
It would have taken too long otherwise, so we said, "OK, let's get married and then we'll
call people.”
Rising stars of European cinema – French actor Vincent Cassel and Italian actress Monica
Bellucci first met on the set of the film, 'L'Appartement'.
The attraction grew intensely, and they eventually started dating early in 1996.
At the time, Vincent didn't consider himself an actor who would approach his co-stars as
it could potentially ruin his career.
What's more, he believed that the director had only hired Belluci because she was a model.
"Our attraction was not immediate - incredible, I know - but yes, I wooed her."
Following years of passionate romance, Vincent and Monica finally decided to tie the knot.
A quiet and peaceful ceremony took place in Monaco, on the French Riviera.
Who knew they would fall in love with each other and become a married couple even despite
their ambitious careers in acting?
They were young and aspiring at the time they first met.
Cassel and Bellucci cared for each other and learned to grow together ever since.
Vincent shared that Monica actually made him reconcile with his physical appearance.
The actor feared that he could face problems in acting because he wasn't the type for this
career.
But Monica made him re-evaluate that thought, "I have learned that acting is not about beauty.
Monica gets work because she is a brilliant actress."
Acting united them in the shared vision of their future.
Monica's wisdom attracted Cassel, so they found much-needed support in each other at
the onset of their careers.
Vincent said, "Monica has been in the public eye since she was 16.
She taught me to not take myself too seriously, especially around the media.
I like to be in control but she's always telling me to relax.
There's only so much you can control in life."
Although strikingly unlike in life, Vincent and Monica got along perfectly well.
In an exclusive interview with Closer, Vincent shared that they were "very different animals."
It was probably the reason their relationship worked out.
Vincent and Monica never searched for somebody's approval, especially regarding their marriage.
But we also believe that both Vincent and Bellucci were unlikely to get married in the
first place.
After all, they dived into the acting, with Vincent becoming one of the most recognizable
French actors and Monica winning a César Award that also greatly lifted her popularity.
It was the time for success for both of them, so they decided to embark on that journey
together.
Vincent once said in the interview before the breakup, "I didn't have many girlfriends
in my youth.
I was an active young man, jumping from one girl to the next, but never with anyone for
more than three or four months.
Monica was my first real love and we've been together for 15 years, so I was right to wait."
It seemed that things were going well for the couple, despite the fact that Monica had
openly admitted she didn't expect her husband to be faithful.
"It would be ridiculous to ask fidelity of him if I hadn't been there for two months.
You can't ask such things as who has he been seeing, what has he been up to?"
In fact, the actress relied on a "more respectful and realistic" approach.
She believed emotional connection, confidence, and loyalty were more important than Vincent's
affairs with other women.
For the couple, loyalty meant not sexual exclusiveness but a profound emotional bonding that no dire
straits could disrupt.
The famous actress explained, "Passion you can feel for the worst man you ever met.
But that has nothing to do with a deeper partnership.
In such a one, passion stays, but more important is confidence, respect, knowing a man is not
just loyal in a sex way, but that they will be there for you.
That is more important than just fidelity."
Vincent and Monica grew mature and self-resilient professionals who knew how to deal with complex
challenges in their love life.
What's more, they also welcomed two beautiful children after all these years of keeping
safe their love fire.
We’ve been wondering what went wrong at the end of the day?
Could infidelity play take its toll on a couple’s relationships?
In their multicultural marriage, Cassel and Monica tried to re-imagine the boundaries
of traditional fidelity.
So when the couple officially announced their separation in 2013, rumors about potential
affairs started circulating immediately.
Could Cassel have a long-lasting secret affair with somebody else?
After their breakup, he lived separately in Brazil for almost a year.
Although it wasn’t news that rigid schedules bound the couple’s personal life, could
infidelity still have played its vicious role?
Rumors remained unjustified as the Black Swan star didn’t appear to date anyone after
breaking up with Monica.
When his romance with a 21-year-old Tina Kunakey hit the spotlight, everybody wondered if it
could be the true reason Vincent and Monica parted ways.
Rumor has it that Cassel just dived into the middle-life crisis, leaving one of the most
attractive actresses.
At least, he was 31 years older than his new 21-year-old lover.
Could the passion between Cassel and Monica just fade away because of her age?
In 2016, the famous actress shared her views on the true ingredients of romantic chemistry,
“Love and sexuality is a matter of energy not age.”
We trust her as Monica was the eldest actress to wow the James Bond star, remaining a top
professional at 50.
She shared the details of their divorce, “I
made the decision.
But when you leave someone, that doesn’t mean you don’t love them anymore.
This means that it is no longer possible to continue,” she said in the interview.
The actress also added that divorce made her greatly suffer as she made it a long way with
Cassel after all those years.
“Love does not disappear, it is transformed.
A lot can change, but our family will always remain intact.
We were both responsible for the vitality of our couple, we are just as responsible
for its end,” she once said in the conversation with Vanity Fair.
In 2018, Cassel got married for the second time to Tina Kunakey.
What attitude towards the new wife of her ex-husband holds Monica?
As the insider recently revealed, “Everything is going well between them, they even like
each other a lot.
And on the children’s side, the big girls take care of the little one, it’s very happy!”
It seems that families do not have trouble finding a common language, and a peaceful
separation between Vincent and Monica eventually worked out.
What’s more, Tina and Monica seem to have lots in common.
They both grew up in Italy, both started working in the modeling business at a young age.
Tina also wants to take a chance in acting in the future.
It seems a little bit strange for us, right?
Is it a coincidence that Vincent found a woman so similar to Monica?
Today, it’s hard to tell what was the real reason for the famous separation.
Infidelity, boredom, or the hectic pace of life?
Given the profound depth of Monica’s and Vincent’s relationships, they made the audience
wonder whether they could ever reunite.
But the ex-husband and ex-wife keep things quiet.
Cassel seems to be happily married to a young model, while Monica is in a relationship with
Nicolas Lefebvre, a 37-year-old young sculptor.
Similar to Vincent, Nicolas is also French.
The story of their marriage seemed to be perfect, and it ended perfectly as well.
When they met, Vincent and Monica were searching for their fame, power, and vocations.
They risked staying on that journey together, experimenting with what it means to love,
respect, and recognize somebody truly.
They taught each other many valuable lessons that made them so close throughout the years.
Perhaps, separating their ways was the best way to get what they wanted?
In a 2013 interview, Vincent described his life philosophy, “It's now or never.
This is simple to say, but then to live like that is not easy at all, I'm sorry.
You have to be aware enough so that you can see situations as they pass in front of you
and be able to catch the instant, whatever it is.”
As they distanced, maybe, it was the time to leave the past behind and start from scratch?
Afterall, even the most beautiful couples fade away.
The story of Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel proved it right.
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