What's really behind Chris Martin & Dakota Johnson's split after 8 years as actress feels ‘incredible pain' at break-up
But while reps for the Coldplay frontman and Fifty Shades Of Grey actress Dakota insisted they were '
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Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin have split after eight years together
Credit: Getty
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Chris' relationship with Dakota had been on the rocks for 10 months before their split
Credit: Alamy
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The couple holding hands in Mumbai in January
Credit: BackGrid
The pair, who got engaged in 2020 but kept it under wraps for years,
A well-placed source revealed: 'Dakota wanted this relationship to work.
'She not only loves Chris, but his two kids, and that loss feels incredibly painful.
'The decision to end things was amicable, but Dakota is finding it hard.
'Over the past year, it became clear that their relationship had stalled and wasn't moving forwards.
'Having children together didn't seem to be on the cards, and their careers have been pulling them in different directions.
'Chris has been on tour for three years, his schedule is insane.
'Settling down, as in Chris properly taking his foot off the pedal, isn't going to happen.
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'And, ultimately, it was one of the many straws that broke the back of them.'
It is not the first time Chris, 48, and Dakota, 35, have ended things.
Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson visits Hindu temple ahead of Coldplay concert
In 2019, just over a year after they started dating,
They quickly reunited and an engagement soon followed, with a huge emerald ring that was reported to have cost Chris £300,000.
In fact, Gwyn — who married Chris in 2003 but announced in 2014 that she was 'consciously uncoupling' from the music star — gave the couple her seal of approval.
"But I think, in this case, just having passed through it iteratively, I just adore her.'
It was finally confirmed
By summer, their relationship was said to have been close to breaking point again.
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Chris and Dakota at the beginning of their relationship in 2018
Credit: The Mega Agency
'This break-up has been on the cards for almost a year,' our source explained.
'Chris and Dakota have had issues in their relationship, but they have always managed to work through them.
'They approached it like a team and were supportive of each other's careers.
"Dakota even directed Coldplay's video for Cry Cry Cry in 2020.
'They were great cheerleaders for each other.
"But after he went on tour in 2022, things became more complicated.
"Earlier this year, they had more time to talk because Chris's schedule calmed down and it became clear they were in a rut and they weren't moving forwards.
'Dakota is holding out that there is hope for them in the future but, for now, they aren't together and are trying to move forwards.'
'WILD RIDE'
Insiders claim Coldplay's intense
The mammoth, 225-date run of shows started in March 2022, when she was filming superhero blockbuster
The band's trek, which will see Chris back on stage tonight in Clark County,
'Chris and Dakota weren't often on the same time zones, but they made it work,' our source explained.
'But eight years is a long time to be together and not actually be able to properly settle down.
'When they first got together, Chris and Dakota had a semi-normal life.
'They spent time together and did things that normal couples do, like hanging out on the beach and going on long walks.
"But Chris is not the kind of man who can sit down and twiddle his thumbs.
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Dakota is good friends with Chris' ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow
Credit: Getty
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Chris, Dakota and Gwyneth have been pictured spending time together
Credit: Goff Photos
'Coldplay's ninth album, Music Of The Spheres, came out in 2021 and they started the tour a year later.
'On the road, they dropped the album
'Chris is a born performer and this work, alongside other endeavours, is what he'll do for decades to come.
'There was no wedding because when was there going to be time?
'Dakota's schedule is far less intense, but just a glance at Chris's is enough to make your eyes cross.'
Those close to the couple said talk of starting a family was also always in the background of their relationship.
Our insider explained: 'Dakota is an amazing stepmother to Chris's children and she adored them.
"Family is very important to both her and Chris, and Dakota loved nothing more than being around them.
'But Chris is older, he's got children already.'
Last year, Dakota made her feelings clear when asked about motherhood during a candid interview.
We're not here for very long, so if I'm meant to be a mother, bring it on
Dakota Johnson
She said: 'I'm so open to that.
'I've gotten to this place where I really want to experience everything life has to offer.
'And, especially being a woman, I'm like, 'What a magical f***ing thing to do. What a crazy, magical, wild experience'.
"If that's meant to happen for me, I'm totally down for it.
'We're not here for very long, so if I'm meant to be a mother, bring it on.'
Of Chris's children, Apple and Moses, she added: 'I love those kids like my life depends on it. With all my heart.'
Dakota was seen for the first time after the news of their split in New York this week.
She had taken off the emerald engagement ring Chris proposed with and kept a low profile as she headed for lunch with friends.
Chris, meanwhile, will play another night in Clark County tomorrow, before shows in Colorado, Texas and Massachusetts.
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Dakota in a scene from Fifty Shades Freed
Credit: Alamy
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Dakota as the lead in Madame Web
Credit: PA
Our source said: 'It's business as usual for Chris and Dakota right now, because there's nothing else they can do.
'Break-ups are never easy and this one isn't any different.
'But they haven't been together for some time, so there has been a chance for Dakota and Chris to navigate this without it being public knowledge.
'The hardest part for Dakota will be losing not only Chris, but the extended family in Apple and Moses, who she doted on.
'They will undoubtedly stay in touch as they're older — they're not kids any more.
'But it won't be the same and naturally they will grow apart as people so often do.
'It's going to be a difficult road for her to navigate, but there is nothing but love between them.
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'Sadly it just wasn't going to be the happily ever after Dakota wanted."
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Chris is travelling the world with Coldplay
Credit: Getty
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