Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin had 'open' marriage before split, report says

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Paltrow/Martin split: Too lame for words?

Four4Four: Touching way to announce separation, or dressed-up pile of celebrity lies?

Were Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin consciously sleeping with other people?

That's what People magazine is claiming in their cover story about the superstar couple's recent "conscious uncoupling."

People reports that several friends of the couple said the two were in an "open" relationship, on and off, before their announced split.

"They have been on and off for many years," one source told the magazine. "The marriage was falling apart."

The Oscar-winning actress and Grammy-award winning singer had been married for 10 years, and have two children ages 8 and 9 1/2.

Never one to do things traditionally, the couple was recently spotted on vacation together in the Bahamas with their children, after their breakup.

"They seemed to have a pretty mature handle on that crazy rotation of being superstars and parents," another source said. "But that balance, given the time they had to spend apart, clearly couldn't sustain itself."

This week's People story is a far cry from a year ago this month, when they named Paltrow their Most Beautiful Person.