Gwyneth Paltrow has revealed how she protected her children from the trauma of going through a divorce with their father Chris Martin.
The Goop founder, 51, admitted she ‘gathered data’ from other divorced parents after deciding she wanted to split from the Coldplay frontman, 46.
Gwyneth, who married Chris in 2003 and ‘consciously broke up’ in 2014, said her data collection was to help prepare her children Apple, 19, and Moses, 17.
The Goop founder said she wanted to research other people whose parents divorced to help her decide how she would approach the issue in 2016.
She said Bustle: ‘My children are great. They are down to earth, grateful and funny.
Close: Gwyneth Paltrow has revealed how she protected her children from the trauma of going through a divorce with their father Chris Martin
Family unit: The Goop founder, 51, admitted she ‘collected data’ from other divorced parents after deciding she wanted to split from the Coldplay frontman, 46
“But (Chris Martin) and I really didn’t want to experience the divorce as a trauma. We knew it would be difficult, of course, but we didn’t want them to ever feel in the middle, or that one of us was trashing the other.’
Gwyneth, who is now married to Brad Falchuk, explained: “At the time, I was doing something very personal, which was when I knew I wanted to get a divorce, I was collecting data by talking to adults who were spoiled home.’
Her research showed that the biggest struggle for children whose parents separated was if they “won’t talk to each other.”
She added: “Each one of them said, ‘I didn’t care that my parents got divorced.’ That wasn’t it.
“But the fact that they didn’t want to talk to each other, that they couldn’t both sit at the table for my birthday…” They said that was the most terrible thing.
The blonde beauty continued: “You could see they were holding it with so much hurt and anger. I was like, “That’s what I’ll never do.” And we really didn’t.’
Gwyneth — who has remained close to Chris since their split — recently shared parenting advice, urging people to “trust your instincts.”
Hindsight: Gwyneth, who married Chris in 2003 and ‘consciously broke up’ in 2014, said her data collection was to help prepare her children Apple, 19, and Moses, 17 (pictured in 2014)
She told fans during a Q&A session on Instagram: “Definitely my best parenting advice, and I say it all the time: mother knows best.
‘Trust your instincts. If you have any questions about this food, that food, anything, I truly believe you implicitly know the answer and just trust your instincts.’
The Bustle sit-down comes after the multi-hyphenate joined Vogue’s 73 Questions series earlier this month.
When asked what surprised her most about motherhood, she replied: ‘How much love there is in this thing.’
She was also asked what characteristics her children inherited from her.
“I think Moses got some consideration from me and Apple, her sense of humor,” she replied.
New love: Gwyneth is now married to her husband Brad Falchuck
Since the breakup of her marriage to Chris, she has moved on with her husband Brad.
He is also the father of two children — daughter Isabella (19) and son Brody (17).
Gwyneth opened up about becoming a stepmom in an Instagram Q&A over the summer, revealing: “It was really hard at first.
“You know, there’s no book about this; no one tells us what to do,” she admitted.
The up-and-coming star added: “And actually, all the media that exists around what a stepmother is casts us in this evil, evil light. So it’s like trying to avoid land mines.
“And then you go into a family with dynamics.” And there’s all kinds of fear around loss and what does that person mean?’
She then noted, “But for myself, the moment I decided and fully embodied the idea that my stepchildren were my children and that I loved them just as much and gave them the same rules and boundaries, and it kind of wholeheartedly went for it.” , then everything was easier. And now it’s pretty great.’