Photo Credit: Ace Showbiz

In case you haven’t yet heard, power couple Heidi Klum and her husband, Seal, have decided to call it quits.  While the two share seven years of marriage and four kids, they recently split, citing the fact that they were “growing apart”, which is better than the Hollywood standard of “irreconcilable differences”.  And the singer, who is currently hitting up the talk show circuit to promote his new album, Soul 2, has not shown any hesitation about opening up and getting emotional where the subject of his marriage is concerned.  In fact, he is still wearing his ring, despite the fact that the two have made their breakup public knowledge.  But he has basically stated that he won’t remove it while he’s still married, and since no divorce papers have been filed, there may still be hope for this celebrity “it” couple to patch up their relationship.

Although Heidi has declined to comment publicly about the state of her relationship, Seal has used air time with Ellen DeGeneres, Piers Morgan, and other pundits to talk about what led to the split and how the situation with his wife is shaping up.  According to him, the couple is struggling with “problems”, although he didn’t say specifically what those might be.  He simply stated, “Of course we’ve had problems, otherwise why are we splitting up?”  But then he went on to give fans of the formerly happy duo some hope by adding, “We have problems, we have issues. But in our favor, or to our credit, we have always been able to talk about them.”  And when asked if he thought he and his wife would reconcile, he kept his answer vague, but upbeat by saying, “It may happen. I can’t speak for her.”

So what’s the deal?  How did these two lovebirds drift apart?  For the last several years they have appeared to be the perfect couple, always smiling and affectionate publicly.  Was it all just an act?  Considering that they have brought three children into the world over the course of their seven years of marriage, it’s hard to believe it was all a sham.  So perhaps it is just as simple as Seal let on.  Maybe, like so many other couples, they have drifted apart.  It wouldn’t be that surprising, in truth.  Most Hollywood couples end up splitting for this very reason.

One or both partners have busy schedules that keep them separated for weeks or months each year.  Heidi, for her part, has Project Runway and modeling gigs to tie her up while hubby Seal has apparently been spending his time in the recording studio (as evidenced by the press tour for his new album).  And with four kids at home it’s easy to see how they might not have much time left over for romance.

In any case, Seal has made no secret of the fact that he still loves his wife and he’s willing to try to work things out.  He maintains that he has no intention of removing the symbol of his love for Heidi (his ring), saying that it’s “a token” of his feelings and that she is “the most wonderful woman in the world”.  Those don’t sound like the words of a man who’s ready to throw in the towel.

Carol Montrose is a contributing writer for Essence Photo and Video, the premier Chicago wedding videographer.