So many of us have dreamed of a Hollywood romance. Fantasizing about a life filled with global jet-setting, red carpet events, designer shopping sprees and parties with A-listers. The recent breakup of Eva Marcille and Lance Gross proves once again that fame, fortune and beauty do not guarantee love, marriage or long-term commitment. Just five months before their wedding, Marcille and Gross have broken things off. Despite the appearance of a glamorous life, celebrity romances aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. The constant travel, public scrutiny, dating competition, lack of privacy and professional demands magnify the challenges celebrities face when trying to find love. They have all the same problems that most people do, and then some. In Marcille and Gross’s case, and for other famous superstar couples like Reggie Bush and Kim Kardashian, who also recently ended their relationship, youth is yet another factor that makes settling down unlikely. The never-ending dating options makes marriage even less likely to happen and to last. It’s so easy to look at celebrity relationships and wish your relationship were a Hollywood romance when in reality celebrities have a significantly higher divorce rate than everyone else. We should be looking at our own parents and grandparents as our relationship role models, not the folks whose relationships are sometimes a publicity stunt, matchmaking for sales and ratings. Yet quietly, we often sit back and wish for the celebrity lifestyle, thinking our humble lives lack the glitz and glamour we read about. We forget the amazing little things we may experience each day that bring us closer to true love and happiness. Your man may not be a movie star, but if he makes you the star in the story of his life isn’t that what it’s really about? Often a happy marriage is the one thing celebrities don’t have. Despite all the things money can buy, a loving, committed marriage is not one of them. Let these superstar relationships be an example that marriage is a commitment that requires time and a serious lifelong level of dedication. That time and attention is the one luxury often unavailable to most celebrities. Just when you thought they had everything, take time today to be thankful for the special hard-earned relationships that are uniquely yours. You may have never thought so until now, but maybe your grass is greener after all.
MICHELLE R. CALLAHAN, Ph.D. is the host of the syndicated talk show “Wedlock or Deadlock” and the author of “Ms. Typed: Stop Sabotaging Your Relationships and Find Dating Success” (Three Rivers Press, 2010). She has appeared on “Oprah,” the “Today Show,” “The Dr. Oz Show,” “The Tyra Banks Show,” and “America’s Next Top Model.” You can learn more about Dr. Michelle at http://www.drmichelle.com. Read More: