UPDATE:  This poll is now closed.  There is a happy ending after all.  The Wedding Ring Coffin goes to Avril Lavigne.

So much for her happy ending! Pop punk star Avril Lavigne has told husband Deryck Whibley, lead singer of Sum 41, to leave their Bel-Air mansion. The couple married in 2006, but rumors of divorce have been circulating since early this year.

Who Gets The Coffin? Deryck Whibley (37.0%, 80 Votes) Avril Lavigne (56.0%, 122 Votes) Total Voters: 217  Loading ...

On her blog, Lavinge wrote “Deryck and I have been together for six-and-a-half years. We have been friends since I was 17, started dating when I was 19, and married when I was 21. I am grateful for our time together, and I am grateful and blessed for our remaining friendship. “

The couple had been working on several songs together for Avril’s upcoming CD. Apparently remaining friends does not include remaining collaborators. Word is that Lavigne wants to remove any evidence of Whibley from the CD and will be reworking the songs.

Who gets the coffin? Cast your vote and we’ll send a Wedding Ring Coffin to the one with the most votes. If you have an idea for an appropriate message to be engraved, let us know in a comment.

After a resounding victory in our “Who Gets the Coffin?” poll, Jo Wood, the former wife of Rolling Stone guitarist Ronnie Wood, became the proud new owner of a Wedding Ring Coffin.  The United Kingdom’s Daily Mail  ran this story (click here) about Jo and her Wedding Ring Coffin. We were thrilled to discover that she loved it!  Jo had a little ceremony and placed her ring in the Wedding Ring Coffin, a perfect way to close the lid on her 31 year marriage. 

We wish Jo good luck as she competes on Strictly Come Dancing as well as lots of happiness as she begins this new chapter in her life.

Did you watch “Secret Lives of Women” last week?  Both Amy Botwinick and Angie Schmidt were so impressive.  They’re great examples of women who were able to turn lemons into lemonade. 

When Amy suddenly found herself getting divorced, she ended up writing a book about her experience,  Congratulations Your Divorce .  She continues to help women get through the painful process of divorce by running workshops as well as offering counseling. 

Angie Schmidt started a website, www.smashingkatie.com, which sells a variety of fun, unique items to help deal with a breakup.  BTW, Katie is the name of the other woman in Angie’s marriage—a good business woman and a good sense of humor!

Life after divorce—you never know what the future holds…

In the last couple of years, I’ve gotten to meet some great women with really interesting divorce stories.  Amy Botwinick is the author of “Congratulations on Your Divorce” and Angie Schmidt is the founder of smashingkatie.com.  Both women will be featured on “Secret Lives of Women” airing Tuesday, September 8th at 10:00 PM on the WE network.  There’s even a chance that the Wedding Ring Coffin will get some air time.  Don’t miss it!  Set your DVRs and pop some popcorn!