POPSUGAR UK

2023's Most Shocking Celebrity Breakups

19/07/2023 - 12:00 PM

We're more than halfway through 2023, but we've already witnessed a ton of shocking (and not-so-shocking) breakups among celebrity couples. The year started off with the surprising news of longtime pair Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott [1] (who share two kids [2]) parting ways. Following that, Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth [3] shocked the world in March when they announced their "difficult decision to divorce" after nearly 12 years of marriage.

While some celebrity couples this year decided to amicably separate, like "Love Island"'s Davide Sanclimenti and Ekin-Su Cülcüloglu – whom Sanclimenti said he "wish[es] her nothing but the best" – other splits have played out quite messily in the news. Perhaps most notable is Avril Lavigne and Mod Sun [4], as the latter's rep informed POPSUGAR on Feb. 21 that their split was "news to him" because they were "together and engaged as of three days ago when Mod left for tour." Shortly after they broke up, Lavigne was then linked to Tyga [5].

There have been a few other unexpected celebrity breakups in 2023 as well. Most recently, People reported on July 17 that Ariana Grande and her husband, Dalton Gomez [6], separated earlier this year after two years of marriage. That same day, news broke about Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello [7] divorcing after seven years of marriage. But they aren't the only stars who've called it quits this year.

Scroll ahead for other memorable celebrity breakups that have happened so far in 2023.

Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez

On July 17, People [9] reported that the singer and real estate agent separated after two years of marriage. A source told the outlet that the pair parted ways in early 2023 and "have been quietly and lovingly working on their friendship" ever since. They were first linked [10] in February 2020 before going public with their romance that May in Grande's "Stuck With U" music video featuring Justin Bieber. The two then got engaged that December before tying the knot [11] in a "tiny and intimate" ceremony in May 2021.

Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello

On July 17, the actors, who tied the knot in November 2015, announced in a joint statement to Page Six [12] that they "made the difficult decision to divorce" after seven years of marriage. They shared, "As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect of our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives."

Previously, Vergara was married to Joe González, with whom she shares a son. She was also engaged to businessman Nick Loeb in 2012, but they split two years later.

Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef

On July 6, the famed singer and his husband announced in a joint statement on Instagram that they were divorcing after six years of marriage [13]. "For some time, we have considered transforming our relationship, and it is after careful consideration that we have decided to end our marriage with love, respect, and dignity for our children preserving and honouring what we have experienced as a couple all of these wonderful years," they wrote. "Our greatest desire now is to continue having a healthy family dynamic and a relationship centreed on our genuine friendship as we continue the joint upbringing of our children." They concluded their statement by saying, "As always, we thank you for all the love and support we received throughout our marriage. We are united in nurturing this new chapter of our lives."

Martin and Yosef first connected through Instagram in 2015 before they met IRL six months later in London. They got engaged in 2016 and tied the knot two years later before welcoming two children together: daughter Lucia and son Renn. Martin also has twins Matteo and Valentino [14] who were born via surrogate.

Ron Hall and Lana Jenkins

The "Love Island" couple were runners up in series 9, but ended their relationship after just three months together. Jenkins lives in Manchester, whilst Hall calls Essex home. MailOnline [15] reported that they called it quits due to their long distance.

Billy Porter and Adam Smith

Porter and Smith first met in 2009 and dated for a year before splitting up. Five years later, they rekindled their romance and tied the knot on Jan. 14, 2017, just 16 days after Porter proposed. However, on July 5, Porter's rep Simon Halls confirmed to People [16] that the actor and men's swimwear designer "have made the sad decision to end their marriage [17] after six years." He added, "The decision was an amicable and mutual one and was made after much consideration. They continue to love and support each other as they embark on this next chapter. There will be no further comment from either parties and it would be appreciated if their privacy be respected."

Ekin-Su Cülcüloglu and Davide Sanclimenti

The influencers both met, and won "Love Island" 2022. Then, in August 2022, Ekin-Su revealed that the couple had plans to move in together [18] that September. But on 29 June, Sanclimenti took to his Instagram to reveal that the pair had split [19].

Jason Oppenheim and Marie Lou Nurk

The "Selling Sunset [20]" star and model were together for 10 months, and travelled around Europe together. However, their relationship lasted just 10 months. Oppenheim wrote on his Instagram story on 30 May: "While we still love and care about each other very much the distance between us has proven to be too great a challenge to overcome. We remain close friends and continue to talk often and support each other and we want the very best for one another."

Taylor Swift and Matty Healy

Romance rumours swarmed the "Speak Now" singer and The 1975 musician back in May after they were spotted out together on multiple occasions. However, all speculation came to a halt on June 5 when a source told Entertainment Tonight [21] that the two ended their brief relationship [22]. "Taylor and Matty broke up," the insider shared. "They are both extremely busy and realised they're not really compatible with each other." They added, "Taylor's friends want what's best for her and aren't shocked that their relationship fizzled out since she recently got out of a long-term relationship," referencing her reported split with longtime boyfriend Joe Alwyn (more on that ahead).

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn

Before starting her romance with Healy, Swift was in a long-term relationship with actor and songwriter Joe Alwyn for six years before their breakup [23] was reported by ET [24] in April. At the time, a source told the outlet the longtime couple parted ways "a few weeks ago." ET also reported that the split was amicable and "was not dramatic." "The relationship had just run its course. It's why [Alwyn] hasn't been spotted at any shows," an insider said of Alwyn's absence at Swift's Eras tour [25] stops.

Swift and Alwyn started dating back in 2016 [26] after they reportedly met at the Met Gala that year. They mostly kept their relationship quiet over the years, occasionally commenting on their romance in interviews. Most notably, Alwyn helped Swift write some of her songs on her "Folklore," "Evermore," and "Midnights" albums under the pseudonym William Bowery.

Samie Elishi and Tom Clare

The "Love Island" stars came third place during the winter series, but split just one month following the show. Clare took to Instagram to confirm their split in April, but said that they are still on "good terms", adding that he has "nothing but love" for his co-star.

Billie Eilish and Jesse Rutherford

Eilish and Rutherford called it quits [27] on their relationship after less than a year of dating, the former's rep confirmed to People [28] on May 17. "We can confirm Billie and Jesse did split amicably and remain good friends," Eilish's rep said. "All cheating rumours are false. Both are currently single."

The former couple were first linked together in October 2022 and went Instagram official on Halloween [29] that year. A few days later, they made their red carpet debut as a couple [30] at the LACMA Art+Film Gala in their famous matching Gucci outfits. They were last seen together at Coachella in April 2023.

Cher and Alexander Edwards

Cher and Edwards were one of the more surprising pairings of 2022, starting romance rumours [31] in November of that year before engagement speculation began just a month later. The two were spotted out numerous times [32] and seemed to still be going strong as recently as March 2023, when they made their red carpet couple debut [33]. However, on May 1, E! News [34] confirmed that the pair had broken up [35] just a few weeks prior. Their split was reportedly amicable.

Halsey and Alev Aydin

On April 25, a source confirmed to POPSUGAR that Halsey and their longtime partner Alev Aydin had split amicably [36]. As part of the breakup, the singer also requested full physical custody of their son, Ender (born on July 14, 2021), with a request for visitation for Aydin, per Los Angeles County court documents obtained by POPSUGAR.

In October 2020, Halsey told Allure of the couple's romance [37], "Alev and I have been really good friends for four years. And when the stars aligned, our relationship became romantic and it was pretty evident that he and I were both like, 'Oh, my gosh! You're the person I'm supposed to start a family with.' A lot of people had opinions about that."

Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth

The ex-couple, who were married for nearly 12 years, announced on March 24 — two days before their wedding anniversary — that they decided to separate [38]. The two, who share a son named Tennessee, revealed the news in a joint statement from a since-deleted Instagram post that read, "It is with a great deal of care and consideration that we have made the difficult decision to divorce. We have enjoyed so many wonderful years together and are moving forward with deep love, kindness and mutual respect for everything we have created together."

The statement continued, "Our biggest priority is our son and our entire family as we navigate this next chapter. These matters are never easy and are extremely personal. We truly appreciate everyone's respect for our family's privacy at this time."

Before Toth, Witherspoon was married to ex-husband Ryan Phillippe [39], with whom she shares two kids [40], daughter Ava and son Deacon.

Avril Lavigne and Mod Sun

On Feb. 21, Lavigne's rep confirmed in a statement to POPSUGAR that the pair broke up after two years together [41]. They were first linked in February 2021 before Sun proposed to his then-girlfriend in March 2022. Lavigne's rep didn't provide explicit details about the pair's breakup, but a source close to the former couple told People [42] at the time that "Avril and Mod Sun have been on and off for the past two months" and called off their engagement.

However, that same day, Sun's rep told POPSUGAR that the pair "were together and engaged as of three days ago when Mod left for tour so if anything has changed that's news to him." Sun kicked off his "God Save the Teen" Tour in Sacramento, CA, on Feb. 19.

Following their split, Lavigne started dating Tyga, whom she's still linked to despite breakup speculation [43] that swirled in late June. Sun, meanwhile, appears to still be single.

Emily Ratajkowski and Eric Andre

The model and comedian first sparked dating speculation [44] on Jan. 25 when they were spotted out in New York City (and a few times in the weeks that followed). They seemingly went public with their relationship on Valentine's Day, when Andre posted a few NSFW photos of them on Instagram, but E! News [45] reported their brief fling had already ended quietly by then. Per a March 15 report, an insider told the outlet that Ratajkowski "broke up with Eric days before he posted that photo" and "had nothing to do with the posting."

Laura Anderson and Gary Lucy

The pair first met on "Celebs Go Dating" in 2022, and announced that they were expecting their first child together in early 2023. However, shortly after announcing their baby news, news of their breakup emerged. "Gary and I are no longer together due to multiple reasons which will remain private," the "Love Island" star announced on Instagram in 2023.

Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott

Jenner and Scott were in an on-and-off relationship [46] for roughly six years: they broke up, got back together, and welcomed two kids together [47] (Stormi and Aire) in that time. They started dating in 2017 before their first child arrived the following year; they then broke up for the first time in 2019. By 2020, the pair rekindled their romance and welcomed their son two years later. But it seems they called it quits for good [48] when Us Weekly [49] reported on Jan. 7, via a source, that the two "are off again." "They were supposed to spend the holidays together, but she went to Aspen to be with her family and friends up there," the insider added. "This has happened so many times before, they're known to be on again off again, but always remain friends and great coparents."


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