Has Mel Gibson's Ex-Wife Come to His Rescue?

Family lawyers in Pasadena, tabloid reporters around the world, celebrity watchers and even the police all have opinions about the current fall from grace of actor and Academy Award winner Mel Gibson. With the release of what now are commonly referred to as "the tapes" -- in which Gibson channels Mad Max and drops every racial slur, misogynistic defamation and general hate-filled phrase under the sun -- folks are wondering how and if he can ever be back in good graces with the public. An unlikely figure, however, may be the one person who can help Gibson: his former wife of almost 30 years, Robyn.

The couple, according to celebrity gossip sites, might be returning to Australia to disappear for a while from the media attack that currently surrounds the actor. Not only did Robyn give Mel 8 children, she stood by her man during his first fiasco, the infamous Malibu DUI of 2006. Gibson often credited Robyn for helping him recover from alcoholism. She even appeared with him at public events and looked as if she was truly in for the long haul. Yet behind closed doors, insiders say the marriage was already over. Mel and Robyn separated that same year. News outlets were quick to declare the couple as "totally over." The courts, on the hand, told another story. The Gibsons didn't even file for divorce until 2009. Citing "irreconcilable differences," the couple seemed to have ended things amicably; Robyn did not aggressively pursue a large chunk of Mel's estimated $900 million fortune.

And now, Robyn is publicly defending her estranged spouse, saying Mel was never physically abusive and was always a caring father despite the claims of bitter ex-girlfriend Oksana Griorieva. Mel is likely to stay put in Los Angeles until some of his legal messiness, including a custody battle for his child with Griorieva, is cleaned up, but reconciliation with Robyn at this point does not seem unlikely. One thing we've learned from the volatile Mel Gibson is to expect the unexpected.

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