10 Devastating Celebrity Breakups

What is love? Is there a point in dating? These are questions being answered by the concerned public today in the wake of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck's split announcement.

The above sentiments are part of the emotional roller coaster we ride every time another celebrity couple breaks up. There you are, just innocently going about your day and believing that true love does exist when BAM! Your world, and everything you thought was true, gets rocked.

While (almost) every celebrity split is tragic, some are more devastating than others. Between all Big Sean and Ariana Grande's there's a Jen Aniston and Brad Pitt to remind you what true sadness is.

In the spirit of wallowing in sorrow, here are 10 of the most depressing splits, ranked in order of devastation.

NEWS: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner announce their divorce

10. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck (2004) We'll call this split legendary, but not exactly shocking. After all, JLo had been married multiple times before; it's not like anyone was expecting a fairy tale romance out of Bennifer. But after a couple puts out a music video that shows what can only be described as a-- caressing, you kind of get used to the idea of them as an item. Either way, the public will never be able to un-see that yacht scene.

9. Taylor Swift and Harry Styles (2013) So this relationship only lasted two months. We barely got to know them as a couple, but Swifties and Directioners get really attached really fast, so their resulting split was a tough blow for fans. After all, they could have been the Queen and King of pop music. And there's almost nothing more tragic than the sight of Taylor Swift alone on that boat in the Virgin Islands. Cue, well, the Taylor Swift songs.

8. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson (2012) Otherwise known as The Breakup That Would Not End. A split that would have been devastating enough for Twilight shippers everywhere was made even more devastating by our collective failure to find closure. From competing reports of whether they would try and work things out post-K.Stew's infidelity, to the confusion over whether Rob actually moved out, it truly was an emotional roller coaster for all involved. And for all involved, we mean tween Twilight fans. But they were really hurting, you guys.

7. Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins (2009) There are some couples in Hollywood who may not be a part of your daily lives the way, say, the Beckhams are, but have been together so long that it's nice to know they're out there, loving each other. That was Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins. And when a couple like them breaks up (after 23 years!), it makes you wonder if anyone at all can last a lifetime.

CLICK: What went wrong with Ben and Jen

6. Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron (2010) Show us one person who didn't think Zanessa was going to be together forever and we'll show you a liar. (Or possibly someone who didn't follow the intimate details of the romantic lives of former Disney stars). But whatever. They were former costars-turned-lovers, they were each more beautiful than the other, and they were but two starry-eyed budding celebrities navigating the craziness of Hollywood together. Until they weren't. Looking back now it's probably best for both of them that they parted ways (you know, to grow or whatever), but it doesn't make it any less tragic.

5. Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin (2014) Conscious uncoupling be damned, this was sad. Gwyn and Chris had such a romantic love story, what with their meeting at a Coldplay concert and getting married barely a year later. Plus Gwyneth is a guru and Svengali to so many aspiring Goop-ies, that it's hard to accept that even she struggles with a relationship in the spotlight. If Gwyneth Paltrow can't therapy-and-supplement her way out of a marital spat, who can?

4. Will Arnett and Amy Poehler (2012) The world's collective response to this breakup can be summed up in one word: "WHAT?!" These two were so funny! And so happy! And so funny! What could you have to get mad about when you're just so funny? Apparently a lot. This split caused multiple pains, first when the divorce was announced and again when Amy's book "Yes, Please" came out. Who can read this excerpt without breaking down in tears? "When you are a person going through a divorce you feel incredibly alone, yet you are constantly reminded by society of how frequently divorce happens and how common it has become. You aren't allowed to feel special, but no one knows the specific ways you are in pain."

3. Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake (2002) For so many people these two were the original #RelationshipGoals. What more could you ask for than your two favorite pop stars finding love with each other? (Besides those two pop stars getting married and having lots of babies). So many emotional voids opened up when Brit and Justin broke up. For starters, who will wear matching denim outfits now?

2. Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling (2007) Is there any more perfect love story than falling in love after filming "The Notebook," the most perfect romance movie of all time? Talk about a match made in Nicholas Sparks heaven. For two blissful years, rom-com fans got to marvel at a real-life fairy tale, until it all came burning to the ground–and we were never able to watch "The Notebook" again.

1. Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt (2005) It has been 10 devastating years since our world was turned upside down. 10 devastating years since we last believed in love. And as it turns out, 10 years is not long enough to move past Jen and Brad. Even today, when we're feeling down, we flip on that episode of "Friends" when Brad guest-starred and just try to look for clues. We've never been able to watch "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," and we doubt we ever will. In fact, if we die alone, Jen and Brad will have only themselves to blame.

PHOTOS: A look back at Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner

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