Stuart Townsend and Charlize Theron

Quick Story: a friend of a friend (of a friend) once rented an apartment in London from Stuart Townsend. Stuart was off to New Zealand for 18 months to play Aragorn in Lord Of The Rings, happy days, etc – except a fortnight later Stuart needed his gaff back, having been replaced by Viggo Mortensen due to 'creative differences'. Flash-forward a decade, and Townsend parts company with the cast of 2011 superhero blockbuster Thor – his highest profile gig in years – the day before filming begins. Guess what? Creative differences strike again.

What happened? Townsend was a hot ticket long before the likes of Colin Farrell and Cillian Murphy made a splash internationally; today, he remains a man in search of that elusive breakthrough role. He misfired badly in clunkers like Queen Of The Damned and The League Of Extra­ordinary Gentlemen, a movie so woeful that it drove Sean Connery to retirement. Now, adding insult to injury, he's been given his marching orders by Oscar-winning girlfriend of nine years Charlize Theron – a 'friend' told the papers that their relationship had become more 'like brother and sister than lovers'.

Ouch. Can't a guy get a break? Don't worry, Stewie, we still believe in you… Do they need a new Doctor Who yet?