Chris Martin is grateful Gwyneth Paltrow took a chance on an "unripe banana" like him.
Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow in 2004
The Coldplay frontman, 38, and 43-year-old actress - who met in 2002 - famously "consciously uncoupled" after 12 years of marriage in 2013 but he believes the blonde beauty was "really lovely" to go out with him in the first place.
Asked what he thinks of the media attention around their time together, Chris shared: "Gwyneth and I broke up a long time ago. I know I am in a band that is famous and my private life is famous and it's fine.
"Even when I grew up in a village, people wanted to know who was going to the dance with whom, and I understand, but I think if I engage with it too much it won't be that healthy. That whole period was a real blessing and I'm so grateful for it but you want to keep certain things to yourself.
"But if your job is to release music, you've got to explain it a bit because otherwise it's not fair on your audience who thing they might be buying a carrot and you've actually made a cabbage.
"And Gwyneth and I are really good friends. I think she was really lovely to take a chance on an unripe banana. "
Gwyneth - who features on the 'Paradise' singer's new album 'A Head Full Of Dreams' - shares custody of children Apple, 11 and son Moses, nine, with Chris, and the musician is confident it all fell into place after they split.
He told The Sun newspaper: "We shared custody. So we worked in Los Angeles and then we'd have two weeks away from each other, which was a good time for me to work on what I've got to work on and then I'd come to London and do two weeks here. But it worked out, I'm happy in LA but I will live wherever my kids are and I don't really mind where it is."
Tagged in Chris Martin Gwyneth Paltrow