Nicole Richie and Joel Madden are reportedly having problems in their marriage.
The 33-year-old fashionista and her 36-year-old spouse wed in December 2010 and are parents to seven-year-old daughter Harlow and five-year-old son Sparrow.
According to In Touch Weekly magazine, Nicole and Joel are said to be struggling with their relationship due to intense arguing.
“Nicole and Joel are at odds over everything,” an insider told the publication, claiming the pair are “on the brink of divorce.”
“They’ve been spending more time apart because all they do is fight when they’re together,” the source added. “Nicole can be very forceful when she doesn’t get her way, and Joel doesn’t respond well to that.”
Nicole and Joel have not been photographed together since they went for dinner in Los Angeles on March 12 with his twin brother Benji and his wife Cameron Diaz to celebrate the siblings’ birthday.
The publication also claims the pair are only remaining together for the sake of their children.
“If it wasn’t for the kids, they’d be divorced already,” the source said. “Nicole’s trying to hang on for their sake, but she’s at her breaking point.”
However, despite the allegations, Nicole has always maintained that her relationship is more than happy. She added in a conversation with Oprah Winfrey last year on her show Where are They Now? that coming from a broken family herself has made her more determined not to let her own marriage breakdown.
"We met and we were partners from day one. And from the second we found out we were going to be parents together, we looked at each other and we said, 'Okay, both of our parents are divorced. We both have had ups and downs with our parents and we don't really have a strong example of what a healthy family life is," she said.
"But, we're recognising that now, so let's work at it and let's go through this together as a team’. It's been great."
