Real reason behind Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna's epic fallout revealed as explosive new book lifts lid on actress's life

Scottish Sun

17-07-2025

Gwyneth's ex Chris Martin has strong opinions on Madonna, according to the book
NOT MAD ON HER Real reason behind Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna's epic fallout revealed as explosive new book lifts lid on actress's life
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Practically joined at the hip during the Nineties, Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna were once the closest BFFs in Hollywood.
Now an explosive new book has claimed to have uncovered the reason why the pair had an epic fallout — with the outspoken singer shouldering the blame.
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Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna were once the closest BFFs in Hollywood
Credit: Rex Features
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Those close to Gwyneth said she distanced herself from the Queen of Pop
Credit: Alamy
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Gwyneth and then-husband Chris Martin were said to have been 'disgusted' by Madonna's behaviour
Credit: Rex Features
The unauthorised biography of Gwyneth tells how she and then- husband Chris Martin were enjoying an island holiday in the early Noughties when Madonna unexpectedly turned up and caused a scene.
Author Amy Odell writes: 'Madonna insisted Gwyneth and Martin join her for a big group dinner at a long table where Madonna went off on her daughter, Lourdes.
'Gwyneth and Martin were disgusted by the behaviour.'
According to Gwyneth: The Biography, Coldplay frontman Chris branded Madonna 'awful' and told his wife: 'I can't be around this woman any more.'
Those close to Gwyneth said she distanced herself from the Queen of Pop — and neither women have been photographed together since.
The apparent fallout between the A-listers became part of showbiz legend in the years that followed.
'I can ice people out and harbour revenge'
Before the alleged holiday row, the close pals had attended Kabbalah classes together and told how they supported each other.
In 2006, Gwyneth, said of Madonna: 'Everything I have gone through, she went through ten times worse and ten times longer.
'She gives me good advice about how to say no and take care of myself.'
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They then became increasingly distant in the years that followed, with Gwyneth, 52, seemingly excluding Madonna, 66, from her inner circle and spending more time with other stars including Beyonce and Jay-Z.
In a 2010 interview with Vogue, Gwyneth all but confirmed she and Madonna were no longer pals when she made a reference to celebrity personal trainer Tracy Anderson, who used to work with them both.
Gwyneth said: 'It's good that [Tracy] doesn't train Madonna any more. It was too much. She keeps people waiting — it takes up your whole day.'
She later admitted: 'Oh yes, I can be mean. I can cave in to gossip. I can ice people out and I definitely harbour revenge.'
The Oscar-winner's spat with the Hung Up singer is not the only bombshell revelation from the book.
Gwyneth's relationship with her ex Brad Pitt is also explored by author Odell, who says she conducted 220 interviews with 'close current and former friends and colleagues'.
Her book reveals Gwyneth started hooking up with Brad on the set of 1995 crime thriller Se7en, where he had requested she play his wife.
But trouble started brewing after Gwyneth, who led a privileged life and was educated privately, struggled with Brad's working-class roots.
The daughter of actress Blythe Danner and director Bruce Paltrow, Gwyneth attended posh fee-paying school Spence and moved into Hollywood with ease, winning an Academy Award aged 26.
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Shocking claims are also made about Gwyneth's temperament as boss of wellness brand Goop
Credit: Getty
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Gwyneth's relationship with her ex Brad Pitt is also explored in the book
Credit: Getty - Contributor
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Gwyneth's on-off three-year relationship with Ben Affleck is also explored
Credit: Getty
By contrast, Brad worked as a limo driver for strippers and dressed as a chicken to advertise a food chain before getting his big break.
The book brutally details what appears to be Gwyneth's disdain for their different worlds.
She is reported to have said: 'Brad and I had very different upbringings.
'So when we go to restaurants and order caviar, I have to say to Brad, 'This is beluga and this is osetra.''
It was after Gwyneth was cast in the movie adaptation of Jane Austen's book Emma in 1996 that she is said to have admitted to having doubts about their relationship.
The film received rave reviews, and despite Gwyneth agreeing to marry Brad three months after it came out, she is said to have cried over whether their relationship was right.
They seemed threatened by each other, based on whom Gwyneth was favouring in a given moment
Amy Odell
The biography recalls how Gwyneth would sob to her friend and make-up artist Kevyn Aucoin 'multiple times' over the fact Brad 'wanted to be with her, but seemed to feel threatened by her success and all the attention she received.'
Kevyn is said to have told Gwyneth: 'You really need to end this'.
Odell's book also claims Gwyneth 'expressed doubts' about their romance and 'admitted she had a crush on Hugh Grant'.
The pair split in 1997, with Gywneth later saying in 2015: 'I wasn't ready, and he was too good for me.'
Gwyneth's on-off three-year relationship with Ben Affleck is also explored in the book, with claims she 'spoke openly about how much she enjoyed their sex life' and told her make-up artist Kevyn how she 'loved' him performing an X-rated act on her.
Those close to Gwyneth said she fell for his 'intellect' but said her friends were worried because he was 'more interested in playing video games with the guys at his house'.
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Gwyneth: The Biography by Amy Odell is out on July 31st
The book also claims he cheated on her, with Odell writing: 'Their physical chemistry couldn't overcome his self-destructive impulses, which may have even included cheating on her.'
Shocking claims are also made about Gwyneth's temperament — including as boss of wellness brand Goop, which she launched in 2008.
Author Odell claims 'executives struggled to navigate Gwyneth's impatience and perfectionism.'
She wrote: 'They seemed threatened by each other, based on whom Gwyneth was favouring in a given moment (and she made it clear).
'Employees who worked up the nerve to go into her office were often met with impatience, an attitude of 'What do you want? Get it over with.''
Another tale recalls 'leadership team meetings' where Gwyneth would bring in specialists to hold 'self-improvement workshops' with their teams.
'Ralph Lauren was not happy about the fit'
Odell writes: 'At one such meeting, a facilitator asked the executives to take turns saying one thing they believed to be true about themselves but wasn't true of anybody else in the room.
'When it was Gwyneth's turn, she said with a smile, 'I won an Oscar.'
'Her team's reaction amounted to a playful 'Gwyneth, f**k off.''
Odell's sources also claim Gwyneth clashed with Ralph Lauren over her gown for the 1999 Oscars where she won Best Actress for Shakespeare In Love.
According to the book, Gwyneth said she wanted the design to be 'inspired by Grace Kelly' and that she had wanted 'the neckline lower and lower'.
It's claimed famed designer Ralph became 'frustrated' after Gwyneth lost weight and came close to refusing to send the dress to Los Angeles for the fitting.
The biography claims: 'The designers at Ralph Lauren noticed that something looked off when she wore it that night.
'The fabric was puckering, a little wrinkly, loose around her torso — as if she had instantly lost ten pounds.
'They realised she hadn't worn the inner detachable corset that came with the gown, which would have made it fit more snugly. Lauren was not happy about the fit.'
Gwyneth's marriage to Chris Martin is also examined in the book, with those close to the actress describing him as an 'introvert who could be socially awkward'.
They also claim she was 'seduced by his persona'.
Gwyneth and Chris married in December 2003 and had daughter Apple, 21, and son Moses, 19.
They split in 2014, with Gwyneth coining the now infamous phrase 'consciously uncoupling.'
But Odell claims that the couple 'had separated a year earlier' to give themselves the chance to work through the break-up.
Using Goop as the platform to announce the split was, apparently, also meticulously planned.
The book says of Gwyneth: 'While she privately struggled to generate optimism about the separation, she found a way to do it publicly, to turn this painful, confusing failure into a project that might inspire and illuminate — and maybe boost the brand.'
That brand, Odell claims, is now being handed down to Gywneth and Chris' daughter Apple — who is studying Law, History, and Society at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
It is claimed Apple has a 'genuine interest' in the brand.
Gwyneth's agent Richard Lovett says: 'She's not going to be the next [Gwyneth], but she will be the original Apple.'