Brad Pitt has described his married life to Jennifer Aniston as "pathetic" in a frank interview with Parade magazine. "I spent the 90s trying to hide out, trying to duck the full celebrity cacophony. I started to get sick of myself sitting on a couch, holding a joint, hiding out," he said. "I think that my marriage [to Aniston] had something to do with it. Trying to pretend the marriage was something that it wasn't." While Pitt has subsequently issued a statement saying the comments have been misinterpreted, dissing past relationships is hardly unheard of.

But is it OK to spill the beans in public, or to mutual friends? Are a few bitter words to be expected when things end, or can you get along with ex-partners straight away?