In the words of dancehall duo Tanto Metro and Devonte, “everyone falls in love sometimes, I don’t know about you but it ain’t a crime.” And just like celebrity couples arounf the world, love didn’t end well for many famous Jamaican couples.

The Jamaican celebrity scene stays festive with hot couple gossip and drama. Now you may find a few repeats on this list which may beg the inevitable question, “when will Beenie Man find love?”

With that said, here is our list of 10 famous Jamaican couples who fell out of love.

1. Edward Seaga & Mitsy Seaga
Ask your grandparents to tell you about the sizzling love affair between Jamaica’s former prime minister and his Euro-presenting beauty queen girlfriend Marie Elizabeth Constantine, “Mitsy”, in 1964. The two eventually got married in 1965, a year after she was crowned Miss Jamaica. Mitsy was publicly known as the ‘softer side’ to Edward and they shared two sons and a daughter. In 1995, the sizzle to their fiery flame outed when the couple filed for divorce.

2. Michael Manley and Beverley Anderson Manley (remarried: Duncan)

Who could really question the hot romance that brewed between former broadcaster Beverley Anderson and former prime minister, Michael Manley? Although Manley was 17 years her senior, Beverley stood solid as a rock by his
side during, what many described, as the most turbulent times in Jamaica’s
political history. The romance between the two drew criticism from some members of society who didn’t think Manly should have chosen an African queen as a bride. The couple got married in 1972 and had two children together. But not even a growing family could keep these two from dating other people. They filed for divorce in 1993. Beverley subsequently married one of Manley’s close political collegaues – D. K. Duncan, an affair that started while she was married to Manley.

5. Lisa Hanna & David Panton
News of a private wedding in New York between former Miss World turned politician Lisa Hanna and former Jamaica Labour Party senator David Panton confirmed the relationship between these two. The marriage barely made it to the five year mark when the couple filed for divorce. Afterward, the two viciously battled in US and Jamaican courts for custody of their only son.

6. Carl Stone and Rosemarie Stone
If you attended the University of the West Indies then the name Carl Stone will certainly ring a bell. A revered political science academic, Professor Carl Stone shared, what many in academic circles believed to be, a wholesome marriage with his lovely wife, Rosemarie. But the couple’s damning diagnosis of HIV in 1992 sent stabbing holes in their picture-perfect love story. In a few mediainterviews following the diagnosis, Rosemarie spoke about the public shame she endured after learning about the countless women her husband had an affair with, many of whom are rumoured to be sex workers.

7. Jah Cure & Kamila McDonald
Many Jamaicans believed “The Cure” found his ‘cure’ when he started dating beauty queen Kamila McDonald. The reggae crooner, whose given name is Siccature Alcock, got married to Kamila in 2011 in a fancy, Ethiopian Orthodox
wedding ceremony in Hanover, Jamaica. But it wasn’t long after the couple started a family and gave birth of their daughter, that they discovered that there was no unconditional love between them. The couple separated in 2015 and finalized their divorce two years after.

8.Beenie Man & Carlene
Flat-tummy, Dancehall queen Carlene Smith and International Dancehall artiste
Beenie Man, whose given name is Moses Davis, were Jamaica’s Jay-Z and Beyonce of the 90s. The Jamaican public was constantly reminded of their romance by way of their countless joint brand ambassadorship jobs including the memorable SLAM condom campaign. The couple shared a daughter but it was not long after her birth, they called an end to their relationship.

9. Beenie Man & D’Angel

While former model turned singjay D’Angel, whose given name is Michelle Downer, shared a previous romantic relationship with Dancehall’s ‘warlord’, Bounty Killa, her ascent to Dancehall prominence happened when she romantically aligned with the ‘Girls Dem Sugar’ Beenie Man in 2005. The couple got married the following year, and welcomed a son. However, by 2010, what was sugary and sweet in their relationship became sour as the couple separated. Their divorce was finalized in 2019. D’Angel has since committed to a single-forever life while Beenie Man went on to date and share children with other women, notably sharp-shooter beauty queen and political leader Krystal Tomlinson.

10. Beenie Man & Krystal Tomlinson

No one predicted the romantic love between these two because it seemed they shared nothing in common. However, it wasn’t long after the couple confirmed rumours of their love affair, they announced plans to get married and welcomed the birth of their daughter Xiah in 2018. And the developments in Beenie and Krystal’s romantic plot did silence critics as they blended well for a time. Unfortunately, they didn’t make it. In 2021 Krystal, in fine wordsmith style, announced their separation.

11. Gully Bop and Shauna Chin
Now the end to this volatile love affair between Dancehall artistes Gully Bop and Shauna Chin was predicted by the public in 2015. Their story played out on social media and kept most Jamaicans on their toes in what appeared to be an on-again, off-again, action-packed plot involving physical and verbal abuse, and drug misuse. The two parted ways following the circulation of a video in which Chin appears to be escaping her enraged boo who she said, on video, planned to kill her. In interviews after the end of their relationship, Chin said the whole thing was a publicity stunt.

12. Vybz Kartel and Shorty
This decades-long relationship has stood the test of infidelity, murder and imprisonment. World-renowned dancehall lyricist Vybz Kartel, whose given name is Adidja Palmer, and his former girlfriend, Tanesha, “Shorty” Johnson were the example of true love for many Dancehall fans. However, rumours of the end of their union were confirmed in 2019 when Vybz Kartel posted a photo of his new Turkish fiancé, Sidem Ozturk.

Don’t be disheartened by the love lost here. While many of these couples parted ways due to irreconcilable differences, the majority are good friends today. Which other famous Jamaican couple fell out of love? Tell us in the comments below.

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