Cheating Rumors: Did Demi and Ashton Get What They Deserved?

Take the early September pictures Moore, 47, tweeted of herself frolicking around in a bikini. Or the Twit pic of Demi and her 32-year-old "hubby" blissfully lying in bed on their fifth wedding anniversary.

Both came within days of Star magazine running two stories about a supposedly straying Kutcher. One quoted an eyewitness who claims to have seen him kissing a blond 20-something near a restaurant bathroom. The second hinged on an interview with 21-year-old chef Brittney Jones, who says she and Ashton had sex while Demi was away in France filming her new movie 'LOL.'

"All along, Demi was told it would never work, that he's going to cheat," Star quoted a friend as saying. "When she finds out that it happened, she'll be devastated."

Celebrity life coach and relationship expert Patrick Wanis doesn't think Demi and Ashton deserve to be trashed by the tabs. But being as open and in our faces as they have been about their love hasn't helped.

"Ashton and Demi make it worse when they are exposing lots of details about their life, because then they are becoming a part of our household," he tells PopEater. "We think we're a lot closer to them than we are ... When you are public, you're inviting people to make comments."

What fuels the frenzy is the sense of entitlement many people feel toward celebrities, Wanis explains. The more stars go public with their every move, "the more people think they own you. You're part of their family," he says.

The pair has presented a united front since the affair allegations surfaced. Shortly after the stories broke, a Twitter photo emerged on Moore's page showing only the couple's elongated shadows, with the metaphorical caption, "Hubby and I standing tall!"

The more recent public displays are only the latest in a very, very long string of public displays put on by the couple. Once, they tweeted from different rooms in their house about plans to have dinner and sex. On another occasion, they wrote about their naked workouts. And while they were at a wedding last year, Kutcher snapped a photo of his wife bending over in a white bathing suit and posted it on Twitter.

"Watching my wife steam my suit while wearing a bikini," tweeted Kutcher alongside the picture. "I love God!"

And the list goes on.

Sickening? Yes. The silly PDAs have even reportedly offended Moore's three kids. But does that mean Demi and Ashton should be battered about by the tabloids, whether the rumors of an affair are true or not?

Maybe. Especially since they've taken to Twitter to address the scandal.

"I think Star magazine calling me a 'cheater' qualified as defamation," Kutcher wrote on September 1. "I hope my lawyer agrees."

Two minutes later, he added, "STAR magazine -- you don't get to stand behind 'freedom of the press' when you are writing fiction."

When will a Twitter addict ever learn?

It isn't just online that they're falling all over themselves to prove the rumors wrong. During public appearances since the scandal broke, the couple have fawned over each other even more than usual. And if you're not familiar with their antics, that's an awful lot of fawning.

Privately, however, sources have said they're "angry" about the stories and have told those close to them not to ask questions, according to PEOPLE magazine.

Some suspect the pair's age gap has finally taken its toll.

"Somehow, I thought it was going to come back to haunt them," a source told PEOPLE. "He got married young, and, as crass as this sounds, never seemed to have his fill. [But] they seemed super committed."

Still, maybe the critics are right. Maybe Demi and Ashton have only themselves -- and all their gushing and tweeting -- to blame.

As for how the saga will unfold, don't worry. You're sure to find out soon enough ... as long as you keep checking Twitter.

Filed under:
• Famous Couples
-
• Gut Reactions
-
• Movie News
-
• Celebrity Twitter
-
• Demi Moore
-
• Ashton Kutcher