BY EMILY HUTCHINSON

Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin’s breakup had classic warning signs. My interview in Women reveals where their age difference collided with their partnership goals. #DakotaJohnson #ChrisMartin #breakup #celebritynews

Dakota Johnson and Chris Martin have officially called it quits. Multiple sources confirmed the breakup to People in June 2025, with one insider saying, “It feels final this time.” According to Mail Online, the pair had actually been over for quite some time but struggled to formally end things. While the news may disappoint fans, the split doesn’t come as a shock given the couple’s history of privacy and past breakups.

Clues had been building for a while. The couple previously took at least one break, with a People source noting 10 months earlier, “They’ve had issues and breaks before, but things are great now.” However, it seems the pattern of separating and reconciling wasn’t sustainable. One earlier split in summer 2019 was reportedly patched up with help from Martin’s ex-wife, Gwyneth Paltrow—an unusual twist covered by Us Weekly. Still, not even Paltrow’s support could keep the relationship intact this time, as more signs continued to suggest the romance was winding down for good.

Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson’s 13-year age gap reportedly caused problems

Journalist Emily Hutchinson writes, “Though a number of celebs rightfully forced us to confront our fixation with age-gap relationships, the 13 years between Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson reportedly played a big part in their split. When the duo broke up, Martin was 48 and Johnson was 35. “They really tried to work through their issues but the age gap was often a problem,” a Radar Online insider shared. As Susan Winter, relationship expert and author of “Older Women, Younger Men: New Options for Love and Romance,” exclusively told Women.com while breaking down if a 10-year age gap is bad, sometimes, the older person may feel they have to guide their younger partner. “While certainly the senior partner has had more life experience, this impulse can feel like control or manipulation to the younger partner,” she said.”

Sometimes love isn’t enough. If the relationship goals are too far apart, even a workable relationship that has an age gap can become problematic. Our priorities changed as we age. Johnson and Martin were at different stages in life. While both were major stars, their personal paths diverged—Martin had been married to Gwyneth Paltrow and already had two children, while Johnson had never married or had kids. A source told Radar Online that Johnson was open to having children someday, but Martin felt he was past that phase. Their differing views on starting a family likely contributed to the end of their relationship.

There is one known issue in an age gap relationships— children. This is the dividing factor between a relationship that will work and one that will not. If the younger mate wants children and the older mate is done, this can terminate the relationship. However, there were a number of issues at hand with Dakota and Chris…

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