Nicole and Lewis split: Why are there some exes we keep going back to?

Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton have shocked the showbiz world with the news they're splitting after five years together.

The couple have reportedly called it quits after ‘hectic schedules’ kept them apart – with Nicole currently in the UK for the X Factor while Lewis jets around the world for the F1.

But, as fans of the pair will know, it’s not the first time they’ve called it quits.

The pair have actually given their relationship a go no fewer than three times, after they first met in 2007.

Their first split came in 2010, before they reunited and split again in 2011. But sadly it seems it's just not meant to be for the couple, who broke up once again this morning.

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We spoke to relationship expert Kate Taylor about why so many of us keep going back to our ex-partners – just like Lewis, 28 and 35-year-old Nicole.

“We return to our exes due to a feeling of vulnerability,” Kate Taylor told Yahoo! Lifestyle.

“Either the relationship is so precious to us that we don’t want to stay away from it, or something prevents us from believing we can successfully move on.”

Kate reckons the reason the couple have split and reunited so many times is because there’s always been one underlying issue that breaks them up.

“It feels like they had a problem they just couldn’t fix,” said Kate.

[Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton have SPLIT, say WHAT? *picks jaw up off keyboard*]

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“The issue splits them up, then the pain of being apart minimises its importance so they get back together, but – after the buzz of being back together wears off – the issue resurfaces.”

It seems that for Lewis and Nicole, their hectic schedules repeatedly got in the way of their relationship – but they tried to get through it for the sake of being together.

The former Pussycat Doll has spoken in the past of the couple having similar backgrounds – and Kate believes this could be one of the reasons why they can’t stay apart.

“We all have relationship patterns written onto us from an early age, and when we meet someone whose history matches ours, it's very attractive,” she told us.

The pair can’t stay away from each other for too long because they feel they know each other better than anyone, she reckons.

“I would think Nicole and Lewis were drawn together by a feeling of having known each other a long time, even when they first met,” she said.

The news comes just weeks after Lewis said he was thinking of proposing to the singer ‘in the near future.’

According to a source close to the couple, the X Factor judge is ‘heartbroken and completely devastated’ by the latest split.

For now, Kate advises Nicole to work hard as a judge and mentor on the TV talent show.

“Throw herself full-tilt into work, friends, challenges, goals... Anything positive and engrossing,” she said.

The singer should avoid dating for the time being because she’ll only compare all the men to Lewis.

“Dating would be good after a while. Not yet! If she begins dating too soon, she will just compare every man to Lewis,” she told us.

Ending a long-term relationship at 35 can be worrying as she imagines Nicole has started to think about marriage and children.

“She has just turned 35. This can be a scary time if she wants a family and marriage,” she said.

“I'd suggest she draws up a life-plan that offers her a fulfilling destiny even if she never meets Mr Right.

“This way, she can look forwards and feel optimistic, not insecure. I predict she won't be single for very long.”

What do you make of Nicole and Lewis’ split? Do you think it’s for good this time? Tell us over on Twitter now.

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