The Real Reason Why Heidi Klum And Seal Broke Up
Heidi Klum and Seal had a whirlwind extravagant kind of love that you see in movies. We're pretty sure the moment from The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2005 (via Elle) is ingrained in our memories forever. After all, who wouldn't want to be serenaded by a tall, dark, and handsome man while wearing lingerie? Okay, that last part may only apply if you happen to be in the best shape of your life. But rewind just one year, to Klum and Seal's meet-cute, and you'll find another moment of cinematic romance.
Klum told Piers Morgan that when she first met Seal — by chance in a hotel lobby in 2004 — "it was kind of like two magnets." The "Kissed By A Rose" singer was seemingly fresh out of a gym session, wearing bicycle shorts. In other words, he looked like a glossy statue, and the supermodel liked what she saw. She told Oprah, "I was physically, straightaway attracted to him, and then we got talking, and I was like, 'Wow, he's such a warm and charming man.'"
From there it was kids, more kids, a legendary run of Halloween costumes, and more, making Klum and Seal's seven year marriage one for the books. But it clearly wasn't as picture perfect as it seemed. In 2012 the superstar couple called it quits, shocking the world. They officially divorced in 2014. So, what went wrong? Here's the real reason why Heidi Klum and Seal broke up.
Seal and Heidi Klum were #relationshipgoals before it was a thing
As amazing as Heidi Klum and Seal's initial meeting sounds, the timing wasn't the most ideal. According to E! News, Klum was pregnant with her daughter Leni, the child she had with Italian businessman Flavio Briatore. But Klum and Briatore had already had a highly public flame-out (he cheated on her, per Vogue), so when Klum gave birth to Leni, Seal was by her side.
The two got engaged less than a year after meeting. Seal popped the question in a creative, thoughtful, and dramatic way. E! News reported he asked Klum to be his wife right before Christmas on the top of a "secluded natural glacier" at a "Canadian ski resort." He even had a special igloo made for the event. The moment set the tone for their entire marriage: Lavish and full-throttle. Their wedding ceremony didn't lack in comparison. On May 10, 2005, the couple got married in front of 40 guests at a "swanky" Mexican beach resort. E! News reported Klum walked down the aisle in a Vera Wang gown while pregnant with her first child with Seal.
'One day you're in, the next day you're out'
Split rumors started flying on January 20, 2012 after Seal sent out this cryptic tweet: "The End." Two days later, the two made it official with a joint statement that read, in part (via E! News), "We have had the deepest respect for one another throughout our relationship and continue to love each other very much, but we have grown apart."
Fans of the couple were shocked, because for years it seemed like Klum and Seal would prevail over the pantheon of doomed Hollywood marriages. But all good things must come to an end. Their good thing ended after seven years.
Overall, the two stayed relatively quiet about what caused their split, particularly in the wake of their public statement about it. In fact, while speaking with Elle in March of 2012, Klum said that she felt like she was "in the eye of a tornado" trying to deal with the "emotions" of the situation in the midst of "the outside world doing all this craziness." She added, "I don't want to talk positively or negatively about the ups and downs that we had. Every couple goes through things. Unfortunately, we're in the public, so the highs are out there. But I don't think it's necessary — especially for our children — to have the lows being printed in magazines and talked about."
In later interviews, both Klum and Seal became a tad more forthright about those issues.
Distance didn't make the heart grow fonder
Both Heidi Klum and Seal are megastars in their own right, and with that, of course, comes busy schedules that help pay the bills (and them some). Seal, a top-charting singer, and Klum, a top supermodel, both have jobs that clearly require them to jet around the world for extended periods of time. And even though things like technology and the relatively low cost of travel have made long distance relationships much more viable than they were in the past (per The Atlantic), we all know how difficult being apart from a loved one for long periods of time can be.
Klum basically said as much in a post-split interview with Redbook where she offered an arguably gloomy attempt at optimism. "[Seal] traveled a lot," she said, adding, "The kids knew it was part of his job. I'm a mom and a dad at the same time." On the bright side, she says because of his busy schedule it made it a little easier for her to transition into becoming a single mother. "Obviously things have changed, but they haven't changed drastically," Klum told the mag. Yeesh.
What was up with Seal's alleged anger issue?
Unbeknownst to his fans, Seal allegedly had an anger issue, and multiple insiders told TMZ that this "volcanic temper" was a large reason for his split from Heidi Klum. Supposedly it became too much for Heidi to handle, with the tab even alleging that it was "affecting their children." Even Seal's ex-girlfriend, Tatjana Patitz, came out of the woodwork to confirm the "Fly Like an Eagle" singer's hot-headedness. In fact she claims that was the reason for her breakup with him. According to In Touch (via the Daily Mail), Patitz said, "He is not a nice person. ... He is definitely not someone who I think of fondly now."
But Seal refuted claims about his alleged bad temper. Speaking with Piers Morgan, Seal explained that, in his view, people wrongly started making assumptions about him him after a paparazzi incident involving his kids, in which he claimed he merely "raised [his] voice" at a photographer who allegedly "hit [his] son in the head with a camera lens." Headlines detailing Seal's reaction rolled out afterwards, which he says resulted in him becoming "the angry stereotype...the rock star, the angry rock star with a hot temper." Granted, he didn't really address the claims made by his ex or those unnamed "insiders" who spoke with TMZ, but regardless, Seal says he is just your average overprotective dad.
Seal pretty much flat-out accused Heidi Klum of cheating
The first question everybody asks when a celeb couple breaks up is "Did one of them cheat?" Seal seemingly gave a pretty definitive answer to this question when he got remarkably candid with a TMZ camera crew in September 2012, which happened to be right around the time that it was revealed that Heidi Klum had started dating the couple's former bodyguard.
Asked how he felt about his ex's new relationship, Seal said, "Whilst I didn't expect any better from him, I would have thought Heidi would have shown a little bit more class and at least waited until we separated first before deciding to fornicate with the help, as it were." Heads went spiraling. Seal later clarified his words in a statement to People, saying "that he was not implying his wife was cheating on him while they were together, but rather he was pointing out that they are separated and the divorce is not final so they are legally still married." Hmm.
Klum attempted to set the record straight, too. In an interview with Katie Couric (via HuffPost), she said, "It's not true. I've never looked at another man while I was with him." Of course, that officially makes this a classic case of he-said-she-said, but we don't think the "looking" was the problem here.
Seal wasn't a big fan of this tradition the couple kept
Heidi Klum and Seal renewed their vows every year in a series of themed ceremonies, including one that Popsugar dubbed "Malibu white trash," due to Klum's "corn rows" and Seal's "cutoff jean shorts" and mullet wig. Of the wacky tradition, Klum told Redbook in 2010 (via Page Six), "It's our time — a lovely family time. It's about remembering this moment of love we gave to each other and reinforcing it." She added, "It's so special to us, something we love and something our children have gotten accustomed to. It's like, 'Hey, Mom and Dad love each other and they get married every year!'"
Well, maybe Seal was just in it for the kids, because he later told Andy Cohen on his Sirius XM radio show that the whole thing "kind of turned into a little bit of a ... circus, which I wasn't terribly fond of because, by default, I'm quite a private person." Although he relented a bit, saying the vow renewal ceremonies were "cool" albeit possibly unnecessary, he did also say that "what [he] disliked most about it" was the publicity that came along with it. Huh, well we certainly couldn't tell through the photos. He seemed to take it like a champ at the time.
Age ain't nothing but a number for Heidi Klum
Remember that bodyguard we told you about? Martin Kirsten? You know, the one Heidi Klum said she didn't start seeing until after her and Seal ended things? Well, his romance with the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model was short-lived, too. They dated from 2012 to 2014.
Then it was on to the next, and in 2014 Klum started dating art curator Vito Schnabel. She received some judgement about their age difference, as she was 13 years older than him. But Klum wasn't embarrassed to be a cougar. She told Ocean Drive (via E! News), "It doesn't matter what people say. As long as you know when you close your door in your own home, you have an amazing time together. That's really all that matters." They dated for three years.
The next time around Klum went even younger, snagging a beau 17 years her junior. In 2018 Klum, started dating Tokyo Hotel artist Tom Kaulitz. As of this writing, it's going more than good. In a deja vu moment the pair got engaged on Christmas Eve. "Tom and the kids together worked on making a breakfast tray for Heidi that had coffee, flowers, and a ring box," a source told People. The couple got legally married two months later, but didn't tell the public for months. Heidi seems very happy with Kaulitz. She told People, " I just found my partner finally."
Seal's search for love
Seal's post-Heidi Klum love life has appeared to be far less eventful than her. But he apparently only has himself to blame. In a 2017 interview with Fault, when asked "What is your fault," the singer answered, "Relationships. They're hard for me, but I'm learning." He told them not just romantic ones, but even the relationship he has with his kids.
Since his divorce from Klum he has only been linked to Erica Packer, billionaire James Packer's ex-wife, which they couple confirmed with a high-profile smooch aboard a yacht in Formentera, Spain. Seal and Packer started dating in 2015. At the time, he was 52 and she was 38. They broke up two years later. Then, rumors flew that Seal and his The Voice Australia co-judge Delta Goodrem, but, she definitively shot that idea down in March 2018.
As for how Seal felt about Klum finally tying the knot with someone else? "I don't know, I don't really have any comment to pass on that," he said to a Daily Mail photographer who apparently just broke the news to the singer about his wife's remarriage. "I just don't have a lot of interest in that subject in general," Seal continued, before adding, "What am I gonna say, what do you actually want me to say? I'm as confused as you are." Is it really possible that Seal didn't know his ex-wife had gotten hitched again? If so, yikes.
Hedi Klum and Seal's co-parenting journey
After their split, Seal and Heidi Klum reached a confidential custody agreement. From the looks of it there is at least no bad blood between them that prevents them from being there for their #1 priority, their four children. As such, they've been able to maintain a strong co-parent relationship. In fact, in reference to a 2017 ski trip that saw the exes reunited with all of their kids in Aspen, Colo., Klum told Entertainment Tonight, "We're always there for our children and always will be."
Seal seems to concur. In fact, even just before his infamous "fornicating with the help" comment, he told TMZ, "As always, my main priority is the emotional wellbeing of our children. He later told Larry King that co-parenting "is the toughest gig in the world," but he gave props to his ex, saying, "Heidi is a great parent. I think she's a great mother."
Both Seal and Klum frequent the kids' sporting activities as well, and Seal was even a guest on America's Got Talent, which Klum is a judge on, since their split. They've spent holidays together, too. As we know, losing love isn't easy, but it's nice to see they have their priorities straight, or as Klum told ET, You always make it work. You just do."