What a week it’s been for the crumbling of “nice guy” celebrity marriages. First we heard the news that popular cheeky-chappy Mark Owen from boy band Take That had cheated on his long-term partner, now wife, with no fewer than ten women; then we learned the personable, down-to-earth Kate Winslet had split up from her second husband, Sam Mendes.

It is too early to know whether Mark Owen’s wife will stay with her husband, but it seems likely the Winslet-Mendes partnership will end up in the divorce courts.

Despite the prevalence of divorce in showbiz circles, there is always consternation when a marriage dubbed “one of the strongest in Hollywood” falls apart. But what it demonstrates to me is that however gilded people’s lives seem and however “nice” couples are, long-term relationships are not always easy to maintain.

Actors and pop stars are not the only ones who get consumed by their work: many professionals these days are required to put their careers first in order to progress up the greasy pole. This often necessitates spending chunks of time away from home or long hours in the office. And that can have a damaging effect on a marriage.

On the flip side of the coin, couples can spend too much time in each other’s company. Many more people work from home these days and if both partners do it, there is a risk of not having any time apart, which can cause its own problems. Press reports suggest the Winslet-Mendes marriage began to unravel after they made the film Revolutionary Road together – ironically about a couple who break up – in which he directed and she starred. The actress had previously told how awkward she felt being directed by her husband.

Mark Owen’s adulterous behaviour seems to have been largely influenced by alcohol – although he has said he isn’t seeking to blame the booze for his many flings – and the fact he’s checked himself into a rehabilitation clinic suggests he has deep-seated issues that need to be addressed.

So whilst the Take That singer has acted like a “love rat”, that doesn’t make him a terrible person – just a confused and unhappy one. Similarly, Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes are probably the pleasant people their public personas suggest.

What all this adds up to is that divorce can happen to the nicest of people. Just because you can’t make a relationship work doesn’t make you – or your partner – a “bad” person.

When you’re going through a separation or divorce, feeling guilty that you weren’t good or loveable enough makes the process much more painful and, therefore, the recovery longer and more difficult.

That is not to say people shouldn’t take responsibility for their mistakes, but mentally beating yourself up about having failed as a husband or wife is counter-productive.

Marriages collapse for all sorts of reasons – and divorces happen to the “nicest” of people.