Gwyneth Paltrow has spoken openly about her divorce experience, saying that the end of a marriage is a “great opportunity to get ruthless.”

Over the weekend, Paltrow opened up her Instagram Stories to users to ask her whatever they wanted, prompting one fan to ask the Goop creator if “you can really move on, after a divorce.”

She replied, “Oh, absolutely. It’s a great opportunity to get ruthless with the truth of who you really are, what you want, and what you deserve.”

When asked whether she loves Martin’s longtime girlfriend, Dakota Johnson, Paltrow said, “Very much.”

In December 2003, Paltrow and Martin tied the knot. In May 2004, they had daughter Apple, who is now 17 years old, and son Moses, who is 15 years old, in April 2006. After a decade of marriage, the parents announced their “conscious uncoupling” in March 2014.

Paltrow talked about how her relationship with Martin has evolved through time in June 2021, saying that he now feels like family to her.

“He’s like my brother,” she remarked on Today, “You know, he’s my family. I love him.”

“And I’m so grateful to him for giving me these kids. It worked out well… You know, it really did, I have to say.”

She previously told Anna Faris on her Anna Faris Is Unqualified podcast that she had no desire to be divorced, but that it allowed her to discover more about herself than she “could have imagined.”

“I’ve learned so much from something I wanted least in the world. I never wanted to get divorced,” Paltrow confessed. “I never wanted to not be married to the father of my kids, theoretically.”

Despite this, Paltrow claims that her divorce from Martin led to a happy marriage with her current spouse, writer-producer Brad Falchuk. “I had learned more about myself through that process than I could have imagined,” she said. “And because I focused on accountability, I was then able to find the most amazing man and build something that I’ve never had before.”

Both celebs have found new love since their breakup. Paltrow met her new husband while shooting a guest appearance on Glee. Martin’s current girlfriend, actress Dakota Johnson, has been his girlfriend for four years. The pair has taken the very serious step of acquiring a home together, and they keep their relationship very private.