Olivia Wilde says the failure of her marriage has not left her bitter and despite reports she is not a serial dater, just a 'ridiculous romantic.'
Wilde, 27, single since separating from husband of eight years, Tao Ruspoli, in February, has been spotted on dates with Ryan Reynolds, Bradley Cooper, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling and Salman Rushdie.
Wilde features as cover girl for the new issue of Marie Claire; she tells the magazine that she is not involved with anyone and rues her celebrity status.
"It makes dating harder," she says. "You go on one date and everyone thinks you're dating. It sort of puts pressure on this little sprout, and tramples it. If someone becomes involved with you, they know they will be photographed and written about and investigated in some way."
In the accompanying cover story, Olivia opens up about the failure of her marriage that started as a fairy tale when at the age of 18 she eloped with Italian prince Ruspoli and married him in a 1,000-year-old castle.
"The trauma of the whole thing has been humbling, and for the first time, I'm a little bit wobbly," Olivia says of their separation.
She contrasts her sheltered existence as a newly wed with her present single status saying, "I'm a case of arrested development, in a way — from spending your 20s with someone who really loves to take care of you, as my husband did. But I think it's very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person."
Olivia and Tao continue to be friends because she says, "I can't keep any negative relationship."
"We're friends; his family is my family. You always have a choice to feel angry and not be friends. But I can't handle the idea of walking into a room and seeing someone I have bad blood with. I can't keep any negative relationship with anyone," she says.
Alluding to what tore them apart, Olivia says, "When the relationship becomes about working to make it work, it's lost that beauty and that optimistic bohemian sense that brought us together. I don't think love should be work."
"In the end, maybe it's just that I'm a ridiculous romantic. I have very high standards for every part of life — my work, my relationships, food, love. I can't just pretend."
Her penchant for high standards complicates her social life, she admits:
"I like clarity. I ask a lot of questions," she says.