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As soon as the initial shock of finding out a celebrity couple have broken up surpasses, you can bet your bottom dollar that people will be scrolling through their socials to try and find the signs that they were heading for splitsville.
Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher announced yesterday that they were divorcing after 13 years of marriage.
The film stars, who share three children together, stunned social media users after releasing a statement on Instagram explaining they had jointly filed for divorce yesterday (5 April).
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Sharing a snap of her and Baron Cohen donning matching tennis outfits, Fisher wrote: "After a long tennis match lasting over twenty years, we are finally putting our racquets down. In 2023 we jointly filed to end our marriage.
"We have always prioritised our privacy, and have been quietly working through this change.
"We forever share in our devotion and love for our children. We sincerely appreciate your respecting our family’s wish for privacy."
Seen as though they have been sitting on this information since last year, fans of the famous former couple have now delved into their social media posts in a bid to find out if the writing was on the wall all along.
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And *spoiler alert*, it seems that it was.
So how exactly did Baron Cohen and Fisher's online activity indicate that they were coming to a crossroads in their relationship?
Well, a deep dive into the Australian actress' Instagram will show you all you need to know.
Keeping schtum
Before the news of their split emerged, Rebel Wilson's allegations about Baron Cohen's conduct on the set of the 2016 film The Brothers Grimsby were dominating the headlines.
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The Pitch Perfect star, 44, claimed that the actor had repeatedly badgered her to participate in nude scenes, which made her feel 'sexually harassed', among other things.
She then took to her Instagram page to reveal that she had written about these experiences in her memoir Rebel Rising, but that Baron Cohen - who she dubbed an 'a**hole' - was trying to block it from being published.
The Ali G star has denied her claims, with a spokesperson for the comedian, 52, saying they were 'demonstrably false'.
People have picked up on the fact that Fisher has not commented on Wilson's claims and the contents of book, or leapt to the defence of the father of her children - despite still being active on her social media accounts.
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'Girls night'
If there's one thing which women do while dealing with a break-up, it's lean on their girlfriends.
And that's exactly what Fisher is doing right now, according to her most recent Instagram upload earlier this week.
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She shared a snap showing her grinning at the theatre while watching the play The Hills of California alongside pals Michelle Dockery, Naomi Watts and Bruna Papandrea on 3 April.
The mum-of-three's prior Instagram post showed two vintage Barbie dolls posing cooly in knitwear and gold earrings alongside the caption: "Mood."
Rather than filling her feed with loved-up selfies, Fisher instead shared posts of her friends and family over recent months.
Back in January, she shared an image of her and Saltburn star Rosamund Pike looking glam at the Golden Eve Party which was held at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles ahead of the Golden Globes.
Fisher has instead concentrated on promoting the second season of the Australian comedy series she stars in alongside Josh Gad, Wolf Like Me, and plugging her appearances on the likes of The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Sleight of hand
You know what they say, hindsight is 20/20.
So don't feel daft if you have only just noticed that Fisher appeared to be hiding her ring finger in the majority of photographs she has posed for in the last 12 months.
The Wedding Crashers actress, 48, seemed to be going to great lengths to disguise the token of their love which she has sported on her hand for more than a decade.
She strategically hid her hands from glaring eyes in a series of snaps which she uploaded to Instagram over the last few months, which thankfully was made easier by the flowy gowns she was wearing.
In one image which she shared last month alongside the caption 'Mum's night out', Fisher seemed to deliberately keep her hands out of the shot, despite not being shy about wearing other statement jewellery pieces.
Placing a hand on her hip appeared to be another favoured method of concealing the contents of her fingers, while stuffing them in her pockets also seemed to be another trick of hers.
Although it is not clear whether she had actually removed her wedding ring or is simply brilliant at obscuring it in photographs, fans reckon it was a clear sign that Fisher and Baron Cohen were on the rocks.
Husband on a hiatus
Although people had no idea that the couple had hit a rough patch, apparently we all should have seen the signs that not posting your husband suggests there might be trouble in paradise.
Although Fisher and Baron Cohen have always kept the details of their relationship private, they have given fans snippets of information about their relationship dynamic and occasionally shared snaps of each other online.
But the last image of the pair on the Arrested Development star's Instagram is from all the way back in November last year, when the pair enjoyed an 'off screen date and on screen date' following the release of Wolf Like Me.
The couple smiled for the camera as they clutched bottles of beer, while looking very smitten with one another - although, it seems like this may not have been the case.
In comparison, Baron Cohen's last post involving his wife was in February last year, which saw him wish her a happy birthday alongside a shot which showed her posing as she held a pint.
He captioned the post: "Isla looking at me and thinking ‘ten more of these and I may find him a tiny bit attractive’. Happy Birthday my darling."
His last post on the platform was in December 2023, during the festive season.
Smokescreen
During her appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show in February this year, shortly after her birthday, Fisher opened up about how she and Baron Cohen celebrate the annual day of love.
In what may have been a potential attempt to throw fans off the scent of her rocky relationship status, the Confessions of a Shopaholic star shared a sweet anecdote about their typical Valentine's Day activities.
Fisher explained: "Every year, Sacha does give me a card that says 'Happy Valentine's Day from…' and then there's a massive question mark. As if anybody else would send me one! As if I have any other Valentines, I'm a mother of three!"
But according to the couple's statement announcing their divorce, they had already decided to call time on their marriage by this point.
However, they might have simply just decided to keep up some of their traditions while getting all their ducks in a row before they went public with their split.
While joining the Loose Women panel back in October 2022, Fisher said 'the secret' to their relationship was keeping it as quiet as they can.
She explained: "We don't talk about it publicly, so it feels special and private to us. And equally, it's nice to share the same line of work, you can talk about the issues that arise in Hollywood, in our jobs and the entertainment industry.
"It's nice to have that in common, plus a sense of humour and obviously shared love of little people."
So I wouldn't hold your breath if your hoping for one of them to share another post detailing what exactly led to the demise of their lengthy marriage.
Topics: Sacha Baron Cohen, Celebrity, Sex and Relationships, Rebel Wilson, Instagram, Social Media, Celebrity News, US News
Olivia Burke