Being the celebrity gossip monger that I am, I couldn’t help but search the Internet for reasons why the Norman/Evert marriage didn’t work out. According to an article published in People magazine, the main reason was problems with the couple’s blended family of five children. Evert has three teenage sons with her ex, former Olympic skier Andy Mill (who was at one time Norman’s best friend) and Norman has two grown children in their 20’s. Norman’s kids never warmed up to their step mom and Norman is accused by Evert’s ex for coming between him and his sons.

Maybe this can be attributed to the fact that the kids are older and it’s harder for older kids to accept a new parent and blend as a family. Or the fact that they did not get to know each other very long before the wedding may have had something to do with it. OR, it could be because THE COUPLE NEVER ACTUALLY LIVED TOGETHER. They never set up house together. Norman and Evert each kept separate residences and had sleep overs. That, in my opinion, is a recipe for disaster because it does not signify a true commitment. I don’t care if it worked for Woody and Mia (and we all know how that turned out), nothing says commitment quite like joint bank accounts and joint mortgage payments. I’ll never forget (although I have tried) those first few months of us all living together in a still-under-construction-house with no heat and in some rooms, no walls; our belongings still in boxes, snuggling up with blankets and popcorn on lawn chairs in the family room to watch a movie. Now those were the days. Although it was a struggle and an adjustment for the kids, Paul and I as their parents sent a very clear message to them that we were committed, this was their new home and we are a family.