Russell Crowe & Danielle Spencer Divorce: Top 10 Facts You Need to Know

russell crowe danielle spencer divorce

Russell Crowe and longtime wife Danielle Spencer are calling it quits and headed for a massive settlement. Here’s what you need to know.

1. Spencer Could Land $25 Million in the Settlement

russell crowe divorce settlement

The soon-to-be “Former Mrs. Crowe” stands to earn about $25 million from the settlement. Their original prenuptial agreement allowed her $15 million if she stayed married to Crowe for more than three years. Having survived in the union for nearly 10 years, her windfall should be nice and tasty. The Gladiator star has earned some $150 million since his marriage to Danielle.

2. They Met on the Set of The Crossing


After catching each other’s eyes on the 1989 Australian farmyard drama (we’re big fans of it here), the two were on and off again until Russell finally did the honorable thing and proposed to Danielle in 2002.

3. They Have Two Boys Together


Charles was born in 2003 and Tennyson in 2006. The children are stricken with the hyphenated surname “Spencer-Crowe.”

4. In June 2012, Spencer Was Seen Being Intimate with Her Dance Partner


While she was competing on Australia’s Dancing with the Stars, it was rumored that Danielle and her partner, Damien Whitewood, were more than just friends. After pictures began to surface online of the two being quite close, rumors began to surface over the future of the Crowe’s marriage. Crowe responded by meeting his wife at the airport, giving some “lovin'” in front of the paparazzi.

5. Australian Media Have Commended Danielle for “Calming” Russell


Crowe’s famous 2005 outburst in a New York hotel when he through a phone at a bellboy was because he couldn’t get connected to his wife. But still, Crowe’s wife is said to be a calming influence on the hotheaded Kiwi. She’s has taken that desrciption with a pinch of salt, saying:

“I’m not condoning his behavior. I don’t want to make excuses for him, because I’m certainly not. But I do understand when you’re apart the loneliness kicks in.”

6. This is the Busiest Period of Crowe’s Career

Most actors are forced to spend much of their time away from their families, but Crowe is taking it to the next level this year with seven movies coming out this year, Man with the Iron Fist, Les Miserables, Broken City, Superman, Noah and his next project The Winter’s Tale, with Colin Farrell and Will Smith. Undoubtedly it caused a strain on their relationship.

7. Crowe Was an Old Romantic When it Came to His Marriage

After Crowe’s alleged brief romance with his Proof of Life co-star Meg Ryan in 2000 (which ended her and Dennis Quaid’s marriage), Russell came to his senses and began to seriously pursue his relationship with Danielle. He said about it:

I’ve been thinking about it for a long time so I don’t have any second thoughts. The thought [of marrying her] crossed my mind the first time I met her.

8. Russell Has Been Living Apart from his Family While in Australia

On the occasional times in recent months when Russell could make the trip back to Oz, he didn’t live with the family on their massive ranch in the countryside, instead staying in Sydney in a penthouse.

9. Talk of Crowe Was Banned Backstage at Dancing with the Stars

According to the Australian Telegraph:

“There was pretty much no mention of (Russell) backstage,” a source from Channel 7 told the paper. “It’s like it was understood not to talk about him or something.”

10. Russell Doesn’t Seem too Down about the Whole Thing

According to Perez Hilton, reports that Crowe was burying himself in his work to get away from the whole thing were exaggerated:

Danielle’s 48-year-old husband of possibly not much longer was a bushy-bearded bundle of smiles when cameras caught up to him in Long Island!
The famed Gladiator actor is shooting his newest blockbuster in NYC with director Darren Aronofsky, the Biblical epic Noah!