Chris & Gwyneth’s race to consciously couple
Gwyn’s nuptials? Chris wants Something Just Like This
There’s nothing like your ex getting married to light the fire under your own relationship. After all, no prizes go to the person who moves on last. So, it’s unsurprising that Chris Martin is feeling the heat to make an honest woman of girlfriend Dakota Johnson…Unless Dakota is reading this. In which case, he’s planning to propose because of love – not because he’s chasing Gwyneth Paltrow down the aisle.
When they split in 2014 after 11 years of marriage, and divorced two years later, Chris, 41, and Gwyneth, 45, set the standard for a new type of Hollywood break-up – one that was all about being “closer than ever”. Since then, they’ve stayed super tight for the sake of their two children – Apple, 13, and Moses, 11. But according to insiders, Gwyn’s announcement in January that she and boyfriend Brad Falchuk, 47, were set to wed caused a chasm in the Martin-paltrow consciousuncoupling – one that’s set to widen now Chris’s game face is on.
“Even though they’re good friends, they can be competitive, and of course a part of Gwyn has always wanted to show Chris what he’s missing,” a source close to the former couple tells heat. “But since she got engaged, he’s keen to play catch-up and is pushing the idea that he and Dakota are serious. To their mutual friends, it feels like Chris is trying to prove who is happiest and is rushing things to compete with Gwyneth.”
Since he and Gwyn split, the Coldplay frontman has stuck to type, dating a starry line-up of Hollywood twentysomethings. But he’s now telling friends that Dakota, 28 – who he went public with around the same time as Gwyn’s engagement – could be the one. And his ex is fuelling the fire. “Gwyneth isn’t convinced it will last, given Chris and Dakota’s age difference,” we’re told. “But he’s determined to prove her wrong and that it’s for real.”
With Gwyneth and Brad yet to set a date, the race down the aisle is wide open. Meanwhile, to the outside world, the exes continue to profess their love. Last week, Gwyn wished Chris a happy birthday, calling him, “My brother,” and thanked him for gifting her their children. Cute or creepy? You decide. ■ CHARLOTTE OLIVER