Is Billy Joel's divorce down to a lyrical failure?

If you missed the news that Billy Joel got married for the third time, fear not, for he is shortly to divorce for the third time. Some folk are speculating that the age difference between Joel and his wife, Katie Lee, might have figured in the split (she's 27, he's 60; if the age difference were a person, it would arguably still be too old for her). There was also the height difference, which was similarly considerable, and the non-traditional way round.

A theory is doing the rounds to the effect that all Billy Joel's marriages have expired shortly after he penned a song about his wife: Just The Way You Are did for the first; Uptown Girl saw off Christie Brinkley, and, just possibly, the recent (well, 2006) All My Life could have triggered this most recent split. It's unclear whether the wives felt that day-to-day life with Billy failed to match up to the promise of his lyrics, or whether they were only in it for the song in the first place. In the end, the heart wants what it wants.

But just in case you feel that the Joels' five-year marriage - I know, time flies, right? - has passed you by without you managing to take anything from it, this column is happy to present you with a parting gift in the form of the outgoing Mrs Joel's recipe for Dark Chocolate Chunk and Dried Cherry Cookies. You will find it on Gwyneth Paltrow's website (goop.com - more than just biscuit recipes, it's a virtual clearing-house for all manner of mumbo-jumbo). As Gwyneth says, "I adore the contrast of the dark chocolate and the cherries - heaven." Enjoy.