Inside Hollywood’s shortest marriages – Britney’s 55-hour fling to secret lesbian lovers

Hollywood loves a good romance and perhaps that’s why so many A-listers have gotten themselves swept up in whirlwind relationships.

However, not every story comes with a happy ending and over the years there’s been dozens of celeb spouses who’ve failed to make it to the one-year mark. One Hollywood couple’s marriage didn’t even last 20 minutes.

Silent film stars Jean Acker and Rudolph Valentino tied the knot in 1919 but had the shortest-ever celebrity marriage when Jean locked her new husband out of their honeymoon suite and their union was never consummated, according to Guinness World Records. Rudolph reportedly knocked on the door for 20 minutes before the groom went home and eventually sued for divorce, citing desertion.

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Years later, Jean claimed she refused to sleep with Rudolph because he admitted to having gonorrhoea. But it was also rumoured the marriage ended so quickly because she had a secret female lover at the time.

When she first met Rudolph at a party Jean had been in a romantic relationship with actress Alla Nazimova, who introduced her to the “sewing circle,” a secret group of lesbian and bisexual actresses. By the time she’d married him, Jean had allegedly started an affair with actress Grace Darmond, completing her lesbian love triangle.

After the divorce was granted, Rudolph didn’t wait the required one year under California law before marrying his second wife in Mexico and upon his return to the US he was charged with bigamy. While their short marriage was certainly a dramatic one, Jean and Rudolph aren’t the only Hollywood spouses to have a quick split.

From Miley Cyrus’ eight-month marriage to Chris Hemsworth to Jennifer Lopez’s pair of marriages that lasted less than a year, there’s been a string of high-profile short-lived marriages making the headlines in more recent years. We’ve taken a look at some of the shortest.

Britney Spears and Jason Alexander — 55 hours

It might have lasted more than 20 minutes but Britney Spears’ infamous marriage to Jason Alexander still takes the title of the shortest modern-day celebrity marriage. The Toxic singer and her childhood friend were celebrating the new year in Las Vegas in 2004 when they decided to tie the knot at Sin City’s iconic A Little White Wedding Chapel.

But the marriage was over nearly as quickly as it began as just a mere 55 hours later Britney’s team caught wind about her new hubby and promptly had it annulled. Britney would later admit she was “being rebellious” by walking down the aisle and claimed she was likely “drunk” and “bored.”

Nicolas Cage and Erika Koike — 4 days

Nicolas Cage is no stranger to a whirlwind romance, the National Treasure star has been married five times and even proposed on the spot during his first date with wife number one, Patricia Arquette. But Just like Britney, his shortest-lived marriage happened in Las Vegas when he wedded his fourth wife Erika Koike in a secret ceremony on March 23, 2019.

Just four days later, Nicolas filed for an annulment citing that he and Erika drank “to the point of intoxication” before the wedding and that he wasn’t aware of her “relationship with another person.”

Cher and Greg Allman — 9 days

Just three days after her divorce from Sonny Bono was finalised in 1975, Cher hopped on a jet and tied the knot with rocker Gregg Allman in, you guessed it, Las Vegas. But just nine days after getting hitched the Goddess of Pop filed to dissolve the marriage.

Gregg had been battling an alcohol and heroin addiction that was too much for Cher to handle but just a month later the couple managed to reconcile and Cher agreed to give the marriage another go. However, their rocky romance continued and in 1976 Gregg filed for divorce.

He decided not to go through with it when he found out Cher was pregnant with their son, Elijah Blue. But their on-again-off-again romance finally came to an end in 1977 when Cher filed for legal separation.

Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman — 9 days

In yet another Sin City wedding, Baywatch star Carmen Electra tied the knot with basketball pro Dennis Roadman in Las Vegas in 1998. Their honeymoon period also came to an end nine days later when the NBA champion filed annulment papers.

They did eventually reconcile but it didn’t last long as they mutually agreed to divorce in 1999. But while their fling was brief, it was certainly a wild one. Back in 2020, Carmen told People she and Dennis once “had sex everywhere” during a trip to the Chicago Bulls’ Berto Center HQ.

Pamela Anderson and Jon Peters — 12 days

Pamela Anderson has taken a total of six trips down the aisle but her shortest-lived marriage was to film producer Jon Peters. The couple first met at the Playboy mansion in the 1980s when the former Playboy Bunny reportedly turned down his advances, citing their 22-year-age gap.

But they ended up reuniting and on January 20, 2020, they had a secret wedding ceremony in Malibu. Just 12 days later, they announced they were separating and Pamela later revealed they’d never gotten around to filing the papers for a legal wedding, which saved them from having to go through an official divorce.

Despite married bliss lasting less than two weeks for the pair, Jon revealed earlier this year that he’ll be leaving Pamela a staggering amount of money when he dies as he told Variety: “I will always love Pamela, always in my heart. As a matter of fact, I left her $10 million in my will.”

Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds — 14 days

Eddie Murphy married TV producer Tracey Edmonds in a romantic sunset ceremony on a private island in French Polynesia on New Year’s Day 2008. Just two weeks after exchanging their vows they announced they’d split.

Luckily for the pair, they’d held off on getting a US marriage licence as they’d planned to hold another legal wedding after their “symbolic” island ceremony. In the end, their relationship didn’t last long enough for them to go through with their planned second ceremony, saving them some paperwork.

Drew Barrymore and Jeremy Thomas — 39 days

Drew Barrymore was just 19 years old when she wedded Welsh barman Jeremy Thomas on March 20, 1994. The 50 First Dates star met him at the Hollywood bar he ran at the time and they tied the knot at the watering hole just six weeks later.

At the time, Drew described their romance as “fate” but their marriage only lasted slightly longer than their courtship as by April 28 they’d split and their divorce was finalised in 1995.

Pamela Anderson and Rick Salomon — 60 days

Pamela’s 12-day marriage to Jon Peters was just one in a series of short-lived marriages. In 2007 she wed professional poker player Rick Salomon in yet another A-lister Las Vegas wedding but just two months later the marriage was annulled as Pamela cited “irreconcilable differences”.

It wasn’t the end of their romance though, seven years later they rekindled their relationship and in 2014 they married again. However, just six months after Pamela said “I do” to Rick for the second time she filed for divorce.

Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries — 72 days

Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries boasted one of the most lavish celeb weddings ever when they tied the knot on August 20, 2011. Millions of viewers tuned in to watch the four-hour E! special Kim’s Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event but wedded bliss only lasted 72 days for the couple before Kim filed for divorce from the NBA star.

“I had hoped this marriage was forever, but sometimes things don’t work out as planned. We remain friends and wish each other the best,” Kim said in a statement. In 2019 Kris hit back at rumours their romance was fake, claiming in an essay for The Players Tribune it was “100% real”.

Nicolas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley — 107 days

Pamela Anderson isn’t the only celeb who’s had multiple short-lived marriages, way before his four-day marriage to Erika Koike, Nicolas Cage wedded Lisa Marie Presley in a private ceremony in Hawaii in August 2002.

But he promptly filed for divorce in November after less than four months of marriage. Lisa called the marriage a “mistake” in a statement at the time as she said: “I’m sad about this, but we shouldn’t have been married in the first place.”

Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock — 122 days

In yet another brief marriage, Pamela Anderson wedded country singer Kid Rock on a yacht in St Tropez in July 2006. According to People, the bikini-clad ceremony wasn’t legal so the pair later went to make their union official back in the US at a Beverly Hills courthouse.

But in November that year, Pamela filed for divorce and in 2018 she revealed she’d not spoken to her second husband since their split.

Renee Zellweger and Kenny Chesney — 128 days

After knowing him for just three months, Renee Zellweger took the world by surprise when she married country music star Kenny Chesney in an intimate ceremony in the U.S. Virgin Islands on May 9, 2005. But four months later the couple shocked fans once again by annulling the marriage, with Renee citing “fraud” as the reason.

The cryptic reason sparked rumours the marriage ended because Kenny was gay, which was false. Renee later released a statement to clarify the term “fraud” was merely legal language.

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk