Celebrity Mound

Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow spent the past few months desperately trying to convince her best friend Madonna not to separate from Guy Ritchie, MailOnline can reveal.

The 36-year-old believes Madonna and Guy, who announced the end of their nearly eight-year marriage today, should remain together for the sake of their three children.

Gwyneth is said to have advised her friend to think long and hard about the effects a divorce from the film director will have on Rocco, eight, adopted David Banda, two, and Lourdes, Madonna’s 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

A source told MailOnline: ‘Gwyneth begged Madonna all summer not to be an idiot and let this marriage fall apart.’

Like Madonna, the Shakespeare In Love star is an American married to an Englishman, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, and alternates her time between her homes in London and New York.

Gwyneth is also said to have developed a soft spot for toddler David and would be devastated to lose regular contact with him as well as with her best friend.

The source said: ‘Gwyneth is in love with that little boy and sees him several times a week while she’s in London, and she has as much at stake as anyone in seeing his parents stay together.

‘She just doesn’t think it’s possible that Madonna and Guy would hurt their children by splitting up, and says she has actively advised both of them to put their problems and their egos aside for the sake of the children.

‘But Madonna can be very hard-headed and treats Gwyneth like a younger sister. If Madonna goes through with a divorce it’s going to break Gwyneth’s heart and affect their friendship permanently.’

Adding to Gwyneth’s determination to keep her friends together is her belief that Guy is an excellent parent to the couple’s children.

The source said: ‘Gwyneth considers Madonna to be a very progressive parent, especially when it comes to keeping Lourdes tuned into her roots and encouraging her relationship with Carlos Leon.

‘That Guy has gone along with that is very impressive to Gwyneth, and just one other reason she the thinks they’re not going to divorce over any issue with the children, no matter how rough things get.’

The domesticated actress is also concerned she’ll lose contact with the fiercely independent Madonna once she’s single again.

‘Gwyneth loves being a mom and loves having Madonna as a confidant about marriage, motherhood and keeping a home together in the public eye,’ the source continued.

‘For those reasons alone, Madonna becoming single again is Gwyneth’s worst nightmare. Overnight, they’d go from having everything in common to almost nothing.

‘I don’t think their friendship could survive, especially if Madonna is the one who forces the split.’

However, despite the major upheavals in Madonna’s personal life, it’s unlikely the pop superstar will abandon London for good.

The source said: ‘No matter what happens, with Gwyneth’s help, Madonna has made a home in England, and she’s staying. She loves it there, and has more friends than reports have lead on. England is in her blood, and she won’t walk away from it even if her marriage goes south.

‘For Gwyneth’s part, if they break up, she’ll have to stay friends with Madonna and Guy because she loves those kids so much and Chris and Guy have a very solid friendship as well.’

(source)