Leo DiCaprio & Bar Refaeli Say They’re ‘Friends’, But Can You Truly Be Friends With An Ex?

Can an ex-boyfriend suddenly turn into a friend?

Six years, one breakup and many speculated breakups later, Leonardo DiCaprio and his model girlfriend, Bar Refaeli, are finally and truly over. The gorgeous couple broke up last week after going through a “rough patch.” However, the two are said to still be friends — which presents the question: can you really be friends with an ex?

Leo and Bar dated for four years before taking a six-month break in 2009; they rekindled their romance last year. Although it seems like they tried their hardest, they still couldn’t make it work. “It was amicable, they’re still friends and they are still talking,” a source close to the couple told the NY Post, adding, “They just grew apart and went their separate ways.” Agrees a HollywoodLife.com source, “It was just time [to break up]. They care about each other but sometimes you reach a point in a relationship where it’s time for all to move on.”

So, do these two recent exes have an actual shot at friendship, or is this completely impossible?

In this case, I think it would be almost strange if Bar and Leo didn’t remain friends. Obviously we don’t know the entire story, but if it was really time to move on and both parties realized this, then there were no hurt feelings, no one person wanting things to continue while the other wanted to split up. This isn’t always the case, but more often than not the breakup playing field has to be equal for an ex-couple to continue being chummy.

If he broke your heart, you’re probably not going to want to be his best buddy. And even if you do want to be his pal (and mostly so you can spend time with him) will it be true friendship? Or will it be an attempt to hold on to a love lost?

The bottom line is this: if you didn’t truly love him and you’re an easygoing kind of gal, it’s going to be much easier to remain friends. But if you loved him, well, you should probably let go of him in every single way. Don’t delude yourself that being ‘friends’ will make the break easier: it won’t.