Marriage is supposed to be sacred. Well, unless you live in Hollywood. It's the only place in the world where people fall out of love in a heartbeat and a divorce doesn't symbolise the end, but rather an opportunity to start over with a bigger bank balance.

Crying and feeling sorry for yourself is reserved for later.

Last year we had Heather Mills. In the messiest and most talked about divorce of 2008, she labelled her husband of four years, Paul McCartney an abusive junkie. But she should have known better than pick on a former Beatle — the British press retaliated by calling her a high-class prostitute and a gold digger. Mills took away $48.7-million, considerably less than the $185-million she initially demanded, before doing the blubbering thing to anybody who would listen: "I will never get over it. I will always love Paul."

McCartney, still worth close on $1-billion, was a little less 'upset': "There'll be no more nagging, no more chaos, no more Heather...bliss. I have peace at last."

Madonna and Guy Ritchie found their peace more quickly — within a couple of months of announcing their separation, the singer and her director husband reached a settlement. But with child visitation being the biggest sticking point, the Material Girl kept most of her material goods.

But neither of these recent high profile settlements come close to what's waiting for Mel Gibson. With his wife of 28 years, Robyn, filing for divorce last week, she could see half his fortune handed over to her.

With no pre-nuptial agreement signed — the actor was just a minor star known for 'Mad Max' when they married — she could walk off with close on $500-million. The star of 'Braveheart' is believed to have amassed close on $1-billion in his career, through roles in films like 'Lethal Weapon' and especially as writer, producer and director of Biblical blockbuster 'The Passion of The Christ'.

All of which means that Gibson will soon join the list of the biggest celebrity divorces ever:

No.5: Kevin Costner

Actor Kevin Costner and Cindy Silva were together for sixteen years, but they couldn't make it work. Costner was the cause of the divorce with his 'indiscretions' and Silva got $80-million in a settlement.

No.4: Harrison Ford

Action hero Harrison Ford and 'E.T.' screenwriter Melissa Matheson were married for over two decades until they decided to call it quits. Matheson received a comforting $85-million from the actor. It included a percentage of all Ford's future movies. He got Calista Flockhart.

No.3: Steven Spielberg

Director Steven Spielberg was married to Amy Irving when he got together with the leading lady of his film 'Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom'. A furious Irving launched a legal battle and grabbed herself enough gold to even make Indy jealous — $100-million.

No.2: Neil Diamond

Music icon Neil Diamond and former TV producer Marcia Murphy were married for 25 years. After going their separate ways, Murphy got a consolation prize of $150-million. Not that the 'Sweet Caroline' singer seemed to mind — cheerful while handling the settlement, he claimed: "She's worth every penny." That would be just under $16 500 for every day they were married.

No.1: Michael Jordan

The most expensive divorce in history is that of basketball legend Michael Jordan and former bank clerk Juanita Vanoy. The couple was married for 17 years before Vanoy filled for divorce citing the old favourite, 'irreconcilable differences'.

They broke up in 2002 and finally made it official four years later. Vanoy was smiling all the way back to the bank — she got a whopping $168-million. She could buy a lot of roses for that.

"He is a great husband and father. He is very attentive, romantic and affectionate, and when he is away for a period of time, he sends me roses. He knows that I love roses," she said in happier times.