Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Julia, Lyle No Longer In Lovett

Associated Press

The unlikely union between the Pretty Woman and her high-haired hubby is over.

The surprise marriage in 1993 of Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett had given hope to Everyman: An ordinary, even peculiar-looking guy gets the Hollywood beauty courted by a bevy of handsome leading men. Together, they dismissed naysayers who said it wouldn’t last.

But the dream appears over. The couple issued a statement Tuesday saying they had agreed to a legal separation after 21 months.

“We remain close and in great support of one another,” the couple said.

Roberts’ publicist Nancy Seltzer refused to disclose any details.

“Big surprise,” commented psychologist Dr. Joyce Brothers. “The surprise is that it lasted as long as it did.”

Roberts, 27, and Lovett, 37, were married in a small church ceremony in Marion, Ind., after a whirlwind romance. The wedding was a hush-hush affair put together in just two days while Roberts was on a break from filming John Grisham’s “The Pelican Brief.” It was the first marriage for both.

The actress had met the country singer with the Eraserhead hairdo while filming Robert Altman’s 1992 movie “The Player.”

Brothers said she hoped men wouldn’t see the breakup as an excuse to stop approaching beautiful women.

“Don’t give up,” the psychologist said. “So many men are afraid of beautiful women, they never ask them. All a man has to do is focus and ask. They will be surprised how many women will react to them.”