A quiet separation

Meryl Streep and Don Gummer recently announced they’d split – and revealed they’ve been living apart for six years already

- By Keshia Africa

There has never been any question about her acting abilities – with her heaps of awards and long list of memorable performances, Meryl Streep is akin to Hollywood royalty.

But for years it wasn’t only her three Oscars that set the actress apart from her peers – it was also her perfect marriage.

For 45 years Meryl and Don Gummer’s relationship endured as others fell apart around them.

That’s why it came as such a surprise when they recently announced their separation.

The first part was already a shock: that one of Hollywood’s seemingly most rock-solid couples had split.

Then came another: they actually went their separate ways more than six years ago. In a town where tongues often wag at any bit of gossip, it was amazing that the news hadn’t leaked before.

For Meryl (74) it must have been a mammoth performance to keep up appearances. Up to a day before she and Don (76) announced their split, she was still wearing her wedding ring.

The couple said that “while they will always care for each other, they have chosen lives apart”.

THEIR love story began when Meryl’s brother, Harry Streep, first introduced the pair in early 1978.

At the time she was still mourning the death of her boyfriend, actor John Cazale, who had died of lung cancer.