(Photo by Mike Coppola/WireImage)
Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky’s Friends Allude to ‘Problems in the Marriage’ Amid Separate Trips
It was some quality one-on-one time. During a late September-early October trip to Iceland, Chris Hemsworth and eldest child India, 11, hiked glaciers, went fly fishing, rode horses and drove an ATV tandem. “Started a [ biker] gang with my daughter,” the actor, 40, captioned an Instagram picture of the latter activity. “Currently, we’re the only two members and that’s how we’ll keep it for now.”
As for the rest of their family? Elsa Pataky, 47, and 10-year-old twins Sasha and Tristan were more than 5,000 miles away, enjoying their own holiday in Japan, complete with visits to Tokyo Skytree and Sensoji Temple. “Chris and Elsa are raising eyebrows for splitting the kids and vacationing apart,” an insider exclusively reveals to Life & Style. “He recently talked about stepping away from Hollywood to focus on family, so it is weird that they wouldn’t all travel together. Some friends think the worst, that this points to problems in the marriage.
Underlying Issues
On previous getaways — such as European ski trips, jaunts to New York and a Kenyan safari — they did their exploring as one unit. “It’s apparent Chris and Elsa know how to have a great time without each other, though,” says the insider, adding that the two haven’t been publicly photographed together since June 27. “They were both all smiles in snaps from their dueling vacations.”
The duo were first introduced by their agent in 2010 and wed after mere months. Just a year later, they welcomed India. Combined with his ascent to global superstardom via the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was a lot. “My wife and I fell in love, had kids, didn’t really see each other for a few years, then fell back in love,” Chris has said, also noting that Elsa’s career took a hit because she became the primary caretaker. “She’s certainly given up more than I have.”
For years, he admitted, Elsa begged him to be at home more with the kids. But now that he is, the pair are dealing with different problems. “Sometimes, additional issues pop up just by being around each other more often,” says the insider. “One of the main things they butt heads over is where to live.” In 2015, Chris and Elsa left California and permanently moved to his native Australia, “but Elsa gets tired of being there — mostly because she’d have more career options if they were in LA,” says the insider. “Chris would never live in LA again, though.”
Though the couple’s separate vacations could be seen as a trial separation of sorts, the insider isn’t convinced Chris and Elsa are ready to call it quits. “Being apart forces you to look at what your marriage may be lacking,” says the insider. “They know they have to work at it and they don’t see that as a negative.”
