Hilary Duff and Mike Comrie, a retired hockey player, have called it quits
on their marriage of only 3.5 years. With so many rumors as to why the
couple split and no explanation given by Hilary or Mike, the exact reason
for their split is currently unknown.
Some magazines have claimed that Hilary prioritized her career over her
marriage. Other sources claim the spark just wasn’t there anymore.
They attended marriage counselling for over a year before they officially
announced their split on January 10, 2013; however, counselling was unable
to rekindle their romance and salvage their short marriage. Hilary’s
mother has stated, “They’re better friends than a married
couple.”
The couple, who married in the summer of 2010, have stated that their breakup
is completely friendly and civil. Hilary’s rep said:
“Hilary Duff and husband Mike Comrie have mutually decided to an amicable
separation… They remain best friends and will continue to be in each
other’s lives. They are dedicated to loving and parenting their amazing
son, and ask for privacy at this time.”
Although Hilary and Mike are optimistic about their non-romantic relationship,
their split is very recent and it is uncertain whether they will be able
to easily work out a custody arrangement for their son, Luca, who is just
22 months old.
As the ex-couple are currently on good terms with each other and both are
committed to parenting Luca, it seems likely that they will be able to
work out a shared custody regime.
In Ontario, shared custody is a parenting regime whereby both parents have
joint custody of the child(ren) (both parents can make major decisions
concerning the child, such as the child’s health, education, and religion)
and each parent spends at least 40% of the time with their child(ren).
Joint custody alone does not refer to physical sharing of the child.
In order to facilitate shared custody, parents need to be able to communicate
and cooperate properly in the event of a disagreement over the child’s
upbringing. Hilary and Mike seem like appropriate candidates for this
arrangement. It will also allow Luca to spend almost equal time with both parents.