They met, we saw, they broke up

A survey by Voucher Codes Pro claims that not only is the seven-year relationship itch far behind us; a typical, loving, happy relationship now only lasts two and a half years, maximum. MERCY KAVUTHA looks at celebrity relationships that disintegrated so ‘suddenly’, we were shocked.

So it’s official… relationships are now shorter than ever. The idea of forming meaningful connections with each other is incomprehensible, and love is nowadays largely viewed as temporary.

What is even more shocking are the relationship stats belonging to the people society deems influencers, with 50 per cent of the average celebrity unions all ending in heartbreak. If that isn’t gut-wrenching enough, the same survey revealed that behind the façade put on by celebrities are relationships marked by even more pain and suffering than average civilians.

For a celebrity-obsessed culture as ours tends to be, this information is hard to take in as many celebrity breakups can hit us nearly as hard as when our close friends break up because we feel we know them personally. Here, we’ve rounded up the celebrity breakups that have made us laugh, cry, gasp and question whether love really does exist.

Natalie Tewa and Rnaze Mukibi

The pair met in 2017 and captured our hearts by letting the public in their relationships and opening their most intimate moments for all to see. Just a few days ago, the duo dubbed “Bonnie and Clyde” broke the hearts of hundreds of thousands of fans by announcing that they were ending their relationship after nearly three years of dating.

The entirety of this breakup took place over a he-said she-said social media war where both maintained the other cheated, amidst some physical abuse claims as well. The stories and videos posted on Twitter by bystanders garnered thousands of views and were trending in a matter of hours. We were however taken aback when the couple announced reconciliation barely a week later. The couple went viral again but this time receiving overwhelming backlash after Kenyans suspected foul play with the emergence of Vera Sidika’s involvement, seeing as she’s not new to such controversies.

Dj Kalonje and Sonnie

DJ Kalonje proposed to Sonnie in 2017 while on a getaway in Dubai. On top of that, the couple were already blessed with two children. What other way were we to expect this fairy tale to end than in happily ever after?

Then on New Year’s Eve, Kalonje posted on Instagram, “I Just had one important priority in our relationship — You. The problem was that we both had the same priority. All I can say is the seven years were worth it. Wish you good luck in all your endeavours. May you find happiness.” Even though he quickly deleted the post, the hawk-eyed online in-laws had picked up on the message. He later claimed that he was talking about his phone. He would however come clean a few days later and confirm that, despite the time they had been together, they had come to a mutual agreement that their relationship just wasn’t working out well.

Khali and Cashy

Khaligraph Jones and Ms Cashy were Kenya’s rap scene's it-couple a few years back after meeting in 2011. They were a much talked-about couple as they were both significant personalities in the music industry, were al-ways seen together and even went ahead to collaborate on a monster single “Micasa Sucasa”. They seemed like a couple that would truly go the distance. When Ms Cashy dumped Khaligraph in 2017, the tabloids went crazy. Elements surrounding the breakup were kept under wraps until Cashy went public this year claiming that he cheated on her with numerous other women and that she also suffered physical abuse under his care. Papa Jones addressed those claims by dismissing and insisting on focusing on his new girlfriend and soon-to-be baby mama.

Marya and Moustapha

If you were old enough during Kenya’s age of fine local music, you were probably obsessed with Marya and Moustapha as a couple. One of the most talked about breakups in Kenyan celebrity history, it was first suspected that the former lovebirds broke up due to religious differences. Later the “real reasons” behind the breakup were revealed when Marya claimed physical and emotional abuse and constant infidelity in 2014.

A year later, Mustapha took to social media to repair his reputation stating that Marya was being unfaithful to their engagement at the time of their breakup, claiming that she hooked up with his friends, including several gospel artistes, who he threatened to expose. Mayra later dated her current baby’s father and ex-husband Kevin Mutisya but broke up after four years of marriage. While Moustapha is open for a rematch, Marya is adamant that it is not happening.

Betty Kyallo and Dennis Okari

The media bigwig pair stole people’s hearts after their highly publicised wedding meant that they had found the one. But everything went sour after just six months into the marriage. Things got really messy when tabloids claimed Betty was cheating on Dennis with a prominent politician, leading to tonnes of negative feedback from invested fans.

However, in an interview with True Love magazine, Betty claimed that she did not begin dating the famous personality until after she had separated from her former husband. The interview revealed that their marriage was a far cry from what people believed, and claimed that Okari’s family was not as supportive of their marriage, even standing her up during the traditional wedding. The former couple has now moved on and are said to be focusing on co-parenting.