You don't have to be heartbroken to get it.

According to online reports, TV personality Star Jones has filed for divorce from her husband Al Reynolds. After the spectacle she made of her nuptials to Reynolds in 2004, it would be really easy to rejoice at Ms. Jones current misfortune. However, I’m not going to go there. I’m just going to wish her well, respect her privacy, and share her public statement:

“Several years ago I made an error in judgment by inviting the media into the most intimate area of my life. A month ago I filed for divorce. The dissolution of a marriage is a difficult time in anyone’s life that requires privacy with one’s thoughts. I have committed myself to handling this situation with dignity and grace and look forward to emerging from this period as a stronger and wiser woman.”

Having been through enough breakups, I know that what comes next for star is incredibly painful. However, after the pain comes the pleasure of rediscovering yourself and who you’ve become as a result of lessons learned. I wish her happiness and healing.

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Lisa Steadman, a.k.a. The Relationship Journalist™ is the creator and editor of BreakupChronicles.com. She's also the author of "It's a Breakup, Not a Breakdown."

January may be the most popular month for breakups, but December doesn’t seem far behind, at least for celebrity splits. Two longtime Tinseltown twosomes have their divorce lawyers on speed dial this month. According to TMZ, Sean Pean and Robin Wright-Penn are divorcing after 11 years of marriage. They have two children. And Mummy star Brendan Frasier and his wife Afton Smith are calling it quits after nine years of marriage. The couple has three children. No word on reasons for the split or who will maintain custody.

So what gives? Why the divorce in December? Too much togetherness during Christmas? Does the idea of spending another year with their s.o. send them into an emotional tailspin? Regardless of the reason, and I’m sure add’l details will surface soon enough, I hope these soon-to-be exes will take a page from Reese & Ryan’s post-divorce playbook (rather than Britney’s) and handle the split with dignity and respect for their exes.

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Lisa Steadman, a.k.a. The Relationship Journalist™ is the creator and editor of BreakupChronicles.com. She's also the author of "It's a Breakup, Not a Breakdown."

Tis the season to reflect on the year that was. Or in this case, to reflect on the Tinseltown twosomes that were no more. While some years are more scandalous than others when it comes to celebrity splits, IMHO this was a pretty mellow year for Hollywood heartbreak. That’s not stopping insanely addictive site PopSugar.com from asking which 2007 celebrity split you find the most shocking:

Justin and Cameron 
Rachel and Ryan
Kate and Owen
Kate and Pete
Kim and Diddy
Dita and Marilyn

To cast your vote, click here.

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Lisa Steadman, a.k.a. The Relationship Journalist™ is the creator and editor of BreakupChronicles.com. She's also the author of "It's a Breakup, Not a Breakdown."

In case anyone cares, here’s a round up of recent celeb splits, courtesy of TMZ.com…

Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe are officially single again.  Their divorce became final this week. Gawd, these two have been single forever already, haven’t they?

Beyoncé Knowles’ younger sister Solange, who married at the tender age of 17, is now divorced to 21. Shocking!

Anybody watch The Bachelor?  Charlie O’Connell, who apparently was on two seasons ago, recently split from his Bachelor beauty Sarah Brice.  Hey, two years is a long time for a fake relationship…

And file this under super old news, but good news nonetheless.  Heroes star Hayden Panettiere finally wised up and dumped reality tv has been Stephen Colletti last month.  Hayden must have been too young to watch his doofus dating skills on the first season of Laguna Beach.

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Lisa Steadman, a.k.a. The Relationship Journalist™ is the creator and editor of BreakupChronicles.com. She's also the author of "It's a Breakup, Not a Breakdown."

With her divorce from Fed-Ex finalized, Britney is officially post-breakup.  However, it doesn’t look like she’s handling post-breakup life very well.  From tabloid reports of erratic behavior to bad parenting to beat downs with the paparazzi, you might even say she’s breaking down rather than breaking UP and moving on.

Part of the problem is that Britney doesn’t have a Boo-Hoo Crew.  The truth is, you can’t successfully survive and thrive after a breakup on your own.  It’s too painful.  You need your friends, a.k.a. your Boo-Hoo Crew, for support.  But instead of reaching out and asking for help, Britney seems to be shutting everyone out.  She’s estranged from her family, parted ways with all of her assistants/managers/handlers, and is trying to manage a very hectic life and career on her own. 

1. Taking care of two small children
2. Trying to launch a comeback
3. Managing her own PR

No wonder everyone’s calling her a train wreck.  The girl is isolated and alone during a time when she really needs support.  Britney really needs a Boo-Hoo Crew.

From the looks of it, her isolation is self-imposed.  But it’s my opinion that the girl is hurting and actually crying for help.  And I feel for her. Going thru a breakup, especially a messy divorce is painful. It’s even more painful to have to do it under the media microscope.  Everyone’s speculating about her every move.  And unfortunately, she’s making some bad post-breakup decisions.  Rebounding.  Hanging with fellow party girls Paris and Lindsay (not exactly Boo-Hoo Crew material).  Alleged drug abuse and erratic behavior.

Makes you wonder what rock bottom will be for Britney.  It also makes you hope she’ll get help before she reaches it and loses any chance of a comeback, maintaining child custody, and healing the rift in her familial relationships.

Britney if you’re listening, find yourself a support system.  ASAP.

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Lisa Steadman, a.k.a. The Relationship Journalist™ is the creator and editor of BreakupChronicles.com. She's also the author of "It's a Breakup, Not a Breakdown."

According to RollingStone.com, Paul McCartney and Heather Mills have finally reached an agreement on their divorce settlement after months of negotiations.  McCartney will pay Mills a total of $140 million broken up into an initial payment of $30 million, with an additional $7 million every year until their 3-year-old daughter turns 18.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  With so much at stake, why didn’t they sign a prenup? 

What do you think of this divorce settlement?  Does Heather Mills deserve $140 million?

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Lisa Steadman, a.k.a. The Relationship Journalist™ is the creator and editor of BreakupChronicles.com. She's also the author of "It's a Breakup, Not a Breakdown."

Regardless of how much money you have, I’m a big believer in signing a prenup before you get married. Which is why this story is particularly painful to report on. Because Sir Paul McCartney didn’t have Heather Mills sign a prenup, he may end up shelling out big bucks for her to go away.  His lawyer recently offered Mills $40 million which she promptly turned down, asking for $100 million. Ouch!

Here’s the thing. If you help someone build their empire, possibly putting your career on hold, possibly birthing and/or caring for children while your spouse brings home the bacon, I understand why you’re entitled to a significant portion of that fortune if and when you part ways. But why should Heather Mills be entitled to Beatle money? It’s ludicrous and greedy. ‘Nuf said.

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Lisa Steadman, a.k.a. The Relationship Journalist™ is the creator and editor of BreakupChronicles.com. She's also the author of "It's a Breakup, Not a Breakdown."

Some celeb splits are shocking. Some are sad. And some make you scratch your head and go Somebody was married to that guy??? And so it goes for one Johnny “Jackass” Knoxville who recently filed divorce papers after 12 - count ‘em - 12 years of marriage to wife Melanie. Remarkably, the couple have a 11 year old daughter and will share joint custody. Again, I’m scratching my head and thinking This guy was married AND a father??? In any event, there was no prenup and Knoxville has agreed to pay spousal support.  

In other celeb split news, comedian Wayne Brady and his wife of 8 years are calling it quits. This one actually bums me out because WB seems like a super cool guy and dad. But then again, he did once admit to being a die-hard video game addict. Been there, done that!  

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Lisa Steadman, a.k.a. The Relationship Journalist™ is the creator and editor of BreakupChronicles.com. She's also the author of "It's a Breakup, Not a Breakdown."

According to the tabloids Jennifer Aniston has a new man, hunky British model Paul Sculfor. But here’s what I really like about Jennifer Aniston. Unlike a lot of today’s starlets (and regular folk), she doesn’t jump from relationship to relationship. In fact, she’s a breakup rock star in my book, taking time off between relationships to heal, work on herself, and move on. No rebounding, revenge, or other ridiculous post-breakup behavior necessary. And that totally rocks!

Going through a breakup and wondering if you should rebound or take time to heal? Here are the top five reasons why I think time between boyfriends rocks…

Time and space to be on your own and heal without the distraction of a new man/rebound

The chance to reconnect with your girlfriends who always help you heal and will remind you why your ex isn’t worth pining over

The opportunity to get to know yourself and what you want out of your fabulous future (a career switch, go back to school, move to a new city?)

The chance to be selfish and pursue personal passions (enroll in a new class, take a vacation, rediscover an old hobby)

Time and space to figure out what you want from your next relationship and eventually, the opportunity to meet someone new and fall head over heels in healthy, whole love

Kudos to Ms. Aniston, today’s breakup rock star!

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Lisa Steadman, a.k.a. The Relationship Journalist™ is the creator and editor of BreakupChronicles.com. She's also the author of "It's a Breakup, Not a Breakdown."

According to TMZ.com, suddenly single singer Jessica Simpson is engaging in a little retail therapy to help her heal from her breakup with John Mayer.  She must have been reading my book and decided that she’d celebrate her post-breakup slump with a shopping spree!

For those of you who aren’t aware of the Dos and Don’ts of the Shopping Spree Slump, A.K.A. Retail Therapy, I’m including an explanation/excerpt from my book below…

After your breakup, you may find that everything reminds you of your ex, INCLUDING your wardrobe.  If this is the case, then a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do — go shopping!  Now, because there’s a lot of prep time involved in this particular slump celebration, you’ll want to clear your ENTIRE schedule and make way for some serious post-breakup pampering. You may even need to take a mental health day off from work. (Seriously!)

Once you’ve cleared your calendar, the first order of business is a mani-pedi (and any waxing that you might need done), followed by a trip to your favorite lingerie store (a girl can’t spend all that time in a dressing room after a breakup without having the cutest bra and panty set).  Then a decadent lunch at your favorite restaurant will help you power up for an afternoon of retail therapy.  Don’t even think about skipping dessert — you’ll burn the extra calories off during your shopping spree (plus, your breakup has just earned you a comfort food hall pass).  And should your retail romp go into overtime, be sure to have a protein bar in your purse.  But don’t lose too much track of time because the best is yet to come. An end of day massage will work out those knots you got lugging around your new loot.  Then later that night or the very next day, put on a fabulous fashion show for your friends.  You’re sure to forget all about your ex in no time. (Work it, Girl!)

DO: buy something your ex would have hated, bring along a shopping buddy, splurge a little

DON’T: max out your credit cards, buy anything that will remind you of your ex (if he loved you in red, buy something purple), shop somewhere that you might run into your ex (too close to the breakup for a face-to-face encounter)

Retail therapy checklist: credit card and/or cash, dark sunglasses, a shopping buddy, comfy shoes that are easy to slip on and off (and show off your pretty painted toes!)

For more deets on how you can celebrate your post-breakup slump, pick up a copy of It’s A Breakup, Not A Breakdown.

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Lisa Steadman, a.k.a. The Relationship Journalist™ is the creator and editor of BreakupChronicles.com. She's also the author of "It's a Breakup, Not a Breakdown."