Davina McCall and other relationship pluses and minuses

Davina McCall, the UK television presenter, has split from her second husband with whom she has three children. She had a difficult childhood, being sent to grandparents very young when her parents split, had a fractious relationship with her French mother, and a serious drug and alcohol problem as a young adult. Born 16 October 1967 she’s a Sun Libra with an exuberant Mars in Sagittarius sextile her Sun and trine Jupiter in Leo. Though her Mars also squares Pluto Uranus in Virgo, which would give her anger/angst issues and major challenges. Her Saturn in forced-to-be-self-reliant Aries may be conjunct her Moon.

Her about-to-be-ex Matthew Robertson, also a TV presenter, is a Sun Sagittarius with an Aries Moon, and Jupiter Uranus Mars in Libra; so it isn’t, at a simple level, that bad a match. Though his Saturn in Aries does oppose and block her Sun. Their relationship chart has a passionately affectionate composite Sun, Venus Mars sextile Jupiter; with Uranus Pluto sextile Mercury Neptune; and a tricky, strained Yod of Pluto sextile Mercury Neptune inconjunct Saturn. There are certainly a fair number of pluses which held them together for 17 years. And it will have been under pressure in recent years with tr Pluto square tr Uranus hitting on that focal point composite Saturn.

Usually what holds relationship together over time are 1. Affectionate Sun Venus aspects; 2. Enough Saturn for endurance and longevity but not so much it puts a damper on feelings; 3. Jupiter aspects as a morale booster to smooth out rough edges; and sometimes a composite Sun Moon which makes the two feel more whole when together. Composite Saturn Pluto aspects can also help to bind couples together though it doesn’t always feel comfortable.

Johnny Cash was with his wife June for 35 years; and their relationship chart has a composite Sun Venus trine Saturn and sextile Jupiter; and Saturn opposition Pluto. I can’t imagine it would be an easy relationship but there was enough glue to hold them together. He was a Sun Pisces with a Scorpio Moon while she was a Sun Cancer with a Capricorn Moon.

Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas who split and came back together have a composite Sun Venus Jupiter trine Saturn; and Saturn square Pluto. They are both Sun Libras with her Moon in Pisces and his in Capricorn. There may be a blip or two coming up for them with Saturn moving into Capricorn.

One couple who were married for 66 years and died within 8 days of one another, Aurlo Bonney, 4 March 1916, and Virginia, 10 Nov 1918, didn’t have that great a relationship chart. It had a competitive, argumentative composite Sun square Mars; a cool and suspicious Venus opposition Saturn Neptune; though it did have an adventurous Jupiter square Uranus (Moon) and trine Sun. Their synastry was better with her Scorpio Sun Venus trine Jupiter in Cancer which connected to his Pisces Sun and Moon. But those were different days, when people were more inclined to hang on in there through the good and the bad.

The classic example always quoted was Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, married for fifty years, since he was a Sun Aquarius with a Pisces Moon and she was a Sun Pisces with an Aquarius Moon, so their yin and yang were balanced. But their relationship chart wasn’t that straightforward. There was a composite Sun Moon, which is very positive since they would complement each other, and that opposed Neptune which is good for the movie business and creating an aura, but not necessarily for everyday living. There was a lively composite Jupiter midway between Mars and Uranus, so fun and adventure; but the Mars was trine Pluto and square Saturn, so I’d imagine one side had to grit their teeth and fit in rather than assert their individuality.

Most relationships that survive just need more pluses than minuses. And much goes back to the individual charts involved. Bad relationships do survive because one side has a no-choice or stubbornly-enduring or overly-submissive chart. Whereas a strongly Uranus person will be an uncompromising bolter. It takes two to tango and if only one partner wants to relate then it requires a masochistic of a high order to stick around.