Love comes and goes, but the going tends to be much more dramatic. It’s only spring, but the year 2023 has seen the end of several high-profile celebrity relationships, and there will likely be more to come. It’s not a wish; it’s just a fact.
Check below to see if any of your favorites have said goodbye to one another this year.
Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn: October 2016-March 2023
Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn’s six-year romance was kept mostly private by the couple, although Alwyn inspired many of Swift’s love songs over the years. News of their secret breakup, which took place in March and was initiated by Swift, broke on April 8. A source told People days later that although they had talked about marriage just months before, greater incompatibilities made it clear to the pair that they weren’t right for the long, long term. “Joe has struggled with Taylor’s level of fame and the attention from the public,” the source said. “The differences in their personalities have also become harder to ignore after years together. They’ve grown apart.”
“Taylor didn’t see them working out in the long run,” the source added.
Taylor Swift and Matt Healy: May 2023-June 2023
Soon after her break up with Alwyn, Taylor Swift was romantically connected to The 1975 frontman Matt Healy. The two had been linked for a brief time in 2014, but never confirmed anything. It seemed like they were very hot and heavy for a month or two, but sources said they split in June for good.
Elle Fanning and Max Minghella: July 2018-April 2023
Elle Fanning, 24, and Max Minghella, 37, were first linked in July 2018 when they were seen holding hands in Florence, Italy, according to Us Weekly. The pair worked together on Teen Spirit, which Fanning starred in and Minghella wrote and directed that same year. The project is where their love story started. (Read more about their history here.)
Throughout their run as a couple, both members opted to keep intimate details to themselves, although they would sometimes go to events together or post Instagrams showing moments from their life together.
Fanning announced the pair’s breakup indirectly during her interview with Harper’s Bazaar UK, published at the beginning of April. She revealed she was currently single but hopeful about finding love again. “I’m a hopeless romantic. I believe in love at first sight,” she said. “Call me crazy, but I believe in those things. I feel that it’s my destiny.”
Brie Larson and Elijah Allan-Blitz: July 2019-March 2023
Captain Marvel star Brie Larson and Elijah Allan-Blitz, a 36-year-old virtual reality director, were first photographed kissing in July 2019. The couple didn’t talk about their relationship much while dating, but they did attend events together, such as the 2020 Oscars, The Daily Front Row’s 2022 fashion awards in Los Angeles, and the D23 Expo in September 2022. The pair worked together on The Messy Truth VR Experience series, which earned them an Emmy in the ceremony’s outstanding original interactive program category, per People.
Larson and Allan-Blitz were last photographed together showing affection in September 2022, as seen above.
Larson revealed that they privately broke up sometime after during a Harper’s Bazaar interview published in late March 2023. She didn’t specify when exactly the split occurred. She only said she’s open to what’s next in her life: “I don’t have a next job. I don’t have a home. I don’t have a partner. I don’t have a plan. I’m just completely open.”
Noel Gallagher and Sara MacDonald: 2000-January 2023
Noel Gallagher and Sara MacDonald met in the year 2000 while in Ibiza, and they got married in 2011. After 12 years of wedded life, they announced on January 16, 2023, that they were getting a divorce.
“Noel and Sara will together continue to look after their children who remain their priority,” a spokesperson said. “Noel and Sara ask the media to respect their privacy and that of our family at this time.”
The former couple share two sons, Donovan, 15, and Sonny, 12. Gallagher has a daughter, Anaïs, 22, who he had in his former marriage to Meg Mathews, who he divorced in 2001.
Maisie Williams and Reuben Selby: 2019-February 2023
After five years together, Maisie Williams and Reuben Selby broke up. Williams shared the news with her followers on February 23, posting a selfie with Selby on her Instagram Stories.
Over the pic, she wrote, “The end of an era. @reubenselby_ and I decided to end our relationship. Since we met 5 years ago, our connection always extended deeply into our shared, and separate, creative careers… and it will continue to do so.”
She continued, “This decision is something we are so grateful or as we can protect the magic, that we can’t help but emit, whenever we put our brains together. P.s no further questions, please, we must protect our children (my dog).”
Selby reshared the announcement in his own Stories, adding a heart emoji.
Avril Lavigne and Mod Sun: January 2021-February 2023
Avril Lavigne and Mod Sun started dating in January 2021, and became engaged in April 2022. But they ended their relationship, confirming their split on February 21.
“Avril and Mod Sun have been on and off for the past two months, but are no longer together as a couple,” an insider told People.
Mod Sun posted in early March that his life had “completely changed” on Instagram.
“In 1 week my entire life completely changed,” he said in the caption. “I just know there’s a plan for it all. 💔 Being surrounded by love every night on tour has been an absolute blessing. I have the best friends in the entire world, thanks for always having my back. See you on stage.”
Camila Cabello and Austin Kevitch: June 2022- February 2023
After eight months together, singer Camila Cabello and Lox Club CEO Austin Kevitch split up after first being linked in summer of 2022. Entertainment Tonight reports that the news broke when a newsletter for Lox Club subscribers stated that, “Austin is single again.”
Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix: February 2014- March 2023
In news that shook the reality TV fandom, Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix broke it off in March 2023 after nine years together. The breakup was famously instigated by Sandoval’s ongoing affair with Vanderpump Rules costar Raquel Leviss.
“They had been having problems for a while, but this was the final straw for Ariana,” and insider told People. “She put up with a lot over the years, but she won’t sit back and be disrespected this way.”
Maddie Ziegler and Eddie Benjamin: 2019-March 2023
Maddie Ziegler and Eddie Benjamin went public with their relationship in March 2020 after about a year together, but a source close to the couple told People that the Dance Moms alum and Australian singer broke up in February after three years.
Their last photos together posted on Zeigler’s Instagram page were three months ago around the Christmas holidays.
Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth: March 2010-March 2023
Just days shy of their 12th wedding anniversary, Witherspoon announced on her Instagram that she and her husband Jim Toth had decided to separate. She wrote in a statement from the former couple:
We have some personal news to share… 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.
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.
Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro: 2021-2023
In late July, 2023, it was reported that Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro had split and broken off their engagement after two years together. The former couple recently released a three-song EP titled RR featuring the hit song “Beso.”
“Yes, a few months ago Rosi and I ended our engagement,” Alejandro wrote in his Instagram Stories July 26. “There are thousands of problems that could cause a breakup, but in our case it was not due to third parties or infidelity.”
He added, “During the space that I am taking to assimilate all of this, erroneous public allegations have emerged, and out of the respect I have for her, our families and all that we lived through, I could not stay silent and continue to watch how they try to destroy the story of the most real love that God has permitted me to live.”
“I never saw myself in a position of even thinking that I would have to give public statements on this matter that is so private to me,” he concluded.
A day later, Rosalía wrote a statement on her Instagram Stories.
“I love, respect and admire Raúl very much,” she said. “Not paying attention to the theatrics, we know what we have experienced. This moment is not easy so thanks to everyone for understanding and respecting.”
Justin and Sophie Trudeau: 2003-2023
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie, announced their separation after 18 years of marriage. The couple were married in 2005. They’d actually know one another in their childhoods, but reconnected again in 2003 at a charity gala. They share three children, 15-year-old Xavier, 14-year-old Ella-Grace and 9-year-old Hadrien.
“As always, we remain a close family with deep love and respect for each other and for everything we have built and will continue to build,” they said in a statement on Instagram.
Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez: 2020-2023
Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez reportedly broke up in January, but it was noted in July when the Wicked star was seen at Wimbledon without her wedding ring. Soon after, it was confirmed that she is dating her co-star Ethan Slater.
Bella Hadid and Marc Kalman: 2020-2023
They first broke up in November 2021 after dating for two years. In July of 2023, it was confirmed that model Bella Hadid had broken up a few minutes earlier. In April of 2022, she shared some more about her relationship with Vogue, saying, “I think that’s why things have been able to last. When you give other people room to have opinions on things that are so personal to you, it poisons it.”
Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes [Again]: 2023-2023
Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes broke up in November of 2021, but in April of 2023 they sparked dating rumors again when they were seen kissing at Coachella. However, a source told Entertainment Tonight in Juney, “Shawn and Camila broke up and are no longer seeing each other. They gave things a try, but ultimately the timing isn’t right for either of them. They’re both staying busy and doing their own things.”
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.
Senior News and Strategy Editor
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
