The Messiest Soap Opera Splits in Real Life

Steve Burton.
Greg Doherty/Getty Photos

Many cleaning soap opera stars have had messy breakups that resemble the plot of their respective exhibits.

Basic Hospital star Steve Burton and then-wife Sheree Burton introduced their break up in Could 2022. The pair, who share three kids, McKenna, Jack and Brooklyn, referred to as it quits after 23 years of marriage for a motive nobody noticed coming.

“I needed to clear one thing up. Sheree and I are separated,” he wrote by way of his Instagram Story on the time. “She lately introduced that she’s anticipating her 4th baby. The kid shouldn’t be mine.”

After Steve introduced that he and Sheree had separated, the health coach posted a cryptic message about making errors.

“When you may return, what would you inform your youthful self? I’d have mentioned. Observe your passions. Folks will damage you, however all the time be type and take the excessive highway. Don’t be afraid to fail or strive new issues. Study out of your errors as a result of you’ll make errors..it’s okay!” Sheree by way of Instagram. “You’re robust, courageous, lovely and able to something you set your thoughts to. Life is brief, so reside it and love everybody. ✨ I hope your day was lovely.”

Steve shouldn’t be the one cleaning soap star to be entangled in a dramatic breakup. Maintain scrolling to see who else has endured a messy break up:

The Messiest Soap Opera Splits in Real Life

Justin Hartley and Chrishell Hartley.
Michael Kovac/Getty Photos for Los Angeles Confidential

Justin Hartley and Chrishell Stause

The pair first related whereas Stause was engaged on All My Youngsters with Justin’s ex-wife, Lindsay Hartley. The This Is Us alum and Stause confirmed their romance in 2014 and wed three years later.

In November 2019, Justin filed for divorce from the Promoting Sundown star. Throughout season 3 of the truth present, Stause revealed she discovered that Justin was submitting for divorce by way of textual content.

“I discovered as a result of he texted me that we have been filed. Forty-five minutes later, the world knew,” she claimed. “I talked to him proper after [he filed] as a result of I believed that should be a joke. That was sort of the top of the communication. What am I alleged to say? What do you say after that? Like, now I’ve to discover a place to reside, now I’ve to scramble and determine this out.”

Us Weekly broke the information in Could 2020 that Justin started relationship his former The Younger and the Stressed costar Sofia Pernas after reconnecting that very same 12 months. In January 2021, Stause and Justin finalized their divorce. Justin and Pernas tied the knot 4 months later.

Tyler Christopher and Vanessa Marcil

Christopher and Marcil started relationship within the ‘90s after assembly on the set of Basic Hospital. They have been briefly engaged earlier than calling it quits in 1999. After his break up from Marcil, Christopher moved on with Eva Longoria who as soon as performed Marcil’s stand-in on the set of the cleaning soap. Christopher and Longoria have been married from 2002 to 2004.

The Messiest Soap Opera Splits in Real Life

Chad Duell and Courtney Hope.
Paul Archuleta/Getty Photos

Courtney Hope and Chad Duell

Hope and Duell related after assembly at a celebration hosted by Duell’s Basic Hospital costar Bryan Craig in 2016. Hope, for her half, was on The Younger and the Stressed. The pair bought engaged on Valentine’s Day in 2021 after 5 years of relationship. Hope and Duell wed eight months later in a steampunk-themed ceremony.

Six weeks after their nuptials, the twosome break up. Duell admitted that he and Hope have been by no means legally married since they didn’t file the paperwork. One 12 months later, Hope mirrored on how a lot issues had modified since she walked down the aisle.

“I’ve lived the lifetime of a Phoenix this final 12 months, and it was far much less majestic than I had beforehand believed it to be.” she shared by way of Instagram in October 2022 alongside pictures from the day. “It was painful. It was infuriating. It was highly effective. It was enlightening. It was cathartic. It was grounding, and it was my best instructor.”

Following her break up from Duell, Hope was linked to her The Younger and the Stressed costar Mark Grossman.

The Messiest Soap Opera Splits in Real Life

Steve Burton and Sheree Gustin.
Taylor Hill/WireImage

Steve Burton and Sheree Burton

Two months after dropping the bombshell that Sheree was pregnant with one other man’s child in 2022, Steve filed for divorce, which wasn’t settled till December 2023. In accordance with courtroom paperwork obtained by Us on the time, the exes share joint authorized and bodily custody of two minor kids. Steve was additionally ordered to pay Sheree $12,500 per thirty days in baby help till April 2024, after which he pays $10,000 per thirty days.

Though Sheree married Jason Amador in February 2025, she continued to face a authorized battle together with her ex-husband.

In Could 2025, Us confirmed Sheree and Steve have been nonetheless combating over custody of their youngest baby.