Uma Thurman is one of those women that I love just because they seem like a cool person. Sure, Uma has made some good films, but her career has been very hit-or-miss, and she doesn’t really seem to know what her strengths as an actress are – dramas, action, ass-kicking, maybe the odd dramedy. Not romantic comedies. But she keeps trying. Anyway, I bring this up because I always liked the way Uma handled her personal life post-divorce from Ethan Hawke.

Uma seemed to enjoy being single for a moment, then took up with billionaire Andre Balazs, who reportedly wanted to marry her and have babies. Then she and Balazs split, and she took up with another attractive billionaire, Arki Busson. Uma and Busson have been engaged for something like a year and a half. I kind of suspected Uma would either not go through with a wedding, or she and Arki would mysteriously split, and Uma would move on to the next attractive billionaire who was all over her. Unfortunately, Cindy Adams is now saying that after a fight, Uma walked out, and instead of making up, Arki called off the engagement. This could be bullsh-t, just so you know:

That gorgeous couple, movie star Uma Thurman, than whom you can get no more beautiful, and hedge fund manager Arki Busson, than whom you can get no more urbane, are still beautiful and urbane — just not anymore a couple.

Uma’s history includes marriage, divorce and two children with Ethan Hawke, plus a longtime togetherness with hotelier Andre Balazs. Arpad, called Arki, is addicted to beauties like supermodel Elle Macpherson, with whom he made two babies but no wedding.

A load of caviar and champagne ago, these two anointed creatures got together with the force of Grucci fireworks. He’s Catholic, she’s Buddhist but — what the hell — money, fame, the high life and internationality are interdenominational. He seemed willing to bend his catechism; she seemed willing to trade her beads for his 8-carat diamond solitaire. Despite her home in New York, they also bunked together in his place in Europe. Summer of 2008 they announced they’d become Mr. & Mrs. Wowee.

Things were great. And then they weren’t. Possibly, just possibly, one reason was Arki was super-rich. Was. Maybe still a little bit is. But for sure, was. This Swiss moneyman lost a bundle in Operation Madoff. It was rumored he could lose Uma. In any case, she recently told me mommyhood had forced her to table career offers and she wanted back to work.

Whatever, came a spat. She walked out in a huff. There was no serious intent to break up, but it made the other side think this engagement should maybe be broken off. So she drew first blood, but it was only a nick. He killed it off, and the waltz has ended. Quietly. And politely. As happens in that small circle of the world’s most privileged beings.

I don’t know more. I’m lucky I know this. For some miserable reason I seem not the first person either has seen fit to call. My lone message to Miss Uma is, in the words of a once much younger Zsa Zsa Gabor: “Dahlink, ven you break up an engagement, it is proper to send back the ring — but keep the stone.”

[From Cindy Adams’ column in The New York Post]

I doubt we’ll ever really know what exactly happened, because Uma isn’t the kind of person to release information about her personal life. I do think it’s interesting, though. Especially with the added gossip that Arki lost a lot of money. Now, Uma is wealthy on her own, and she’s a steadily working actress, so I’m not saying she’s a golddigger (I’m not!). But it is interesting, right? Granted, if I lost millions of dollars with Madoff, I would be unpleasant too, and the bad attitude, rather than the money, probably contributed more to their relationship’s decline. Allegedly.