Celebrity breakups of 2023: All the couples who split this year
Confidential is breaking down all the celebrity breakups of 2023 – and what caused these stars to part ways. From reality TV stars to actors and musicians, here’s a look at the couples whose love just wasn’t meant to last a lifetime.
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Confidential is breaking down all the celebrity breakups of 2023 – and what caused these stars to part ways. From reality TV stars to actors and musicians, here’s a look at the couples whose love just wasn’t meant to last a lifetime.
Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness
After 27 years of marriage and two children, Hugh Jackman and wife Deborra-Lee Furness announced their separation on September 15.
The news has sent shockwaves around the world as fans were left reeling and wondering what went wrong for one of Australia’s most enduring celebrity couples.
In the shock announcement, they released a joint statement confirming an end to their high-profile relationship.
“We have been blessed to share almost three decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage,” they said.
“Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.”
Jackman, 54, and Furness, 67, who share two adult children, Oscar, 23, and Ava, 18, added the announcement, released through People, would be “the sole statement either of us will make”.
“We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition.”
Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Cameron McGlinchey
Australian darling Natalie Bassingthwaighte announced her split from her former bandmate and husband of 13 years Cameron McGlinchey in August.
Bassingthwaighte, 47, and her ex drummer husband, also 47, reportedly split late last year and co-parent daughter Harper, 13, and son Hendrix, 10.
The red carpet couple first met while working in Aussie rock band Rogue Traders, which formed in Melbourne in 2002. Together, they created hit singles Voodoo Child and One of My Kind, with Bassingthwaighte as lead singer and McGlinchey on the drums.
The pair quickly became an Aussie “It” couple and married at a glamorous ceremony in St Kilda, Melbourne, in 2011. Bassingthwaighte arrived in a white vintage Rolls-Royce, dressed in a embroidered J’Aton gown and carried their young daughter in her arms.
“I think there’s a perception that if your marriage is over, or something is over, it’s a failure,” Bassingthwaighte said. “I don’t believe that at all. We had a very successful marriage. It was very beautiful. We’ve done amazing things together, achieved a lot and have two incredible children. We admire and respect each other, and there’s love there.”
The couple sold their home in Melbourne in 2020 and relocated their young family to Byron Bay, with Bassingthwaighte at the time saying she needed to embrace a more laid-back lifestyle.
“It has been really challenging,” she told Stellar of the split. “When there’s (public) interest, it’s very overwhelming.
“It hurts, trying to navigate what the next bits look like, especially as a couple who have two children, who work together.”
In the November Stellar exclusive, Bassingthwaighte revealed she is in a new relationship with a woman, Pip Loth, and opened up about her ex’s support to go public with the story.
“I’m in a beautiful relationship with a woman who makes my heart smile and makes me really happy. (When media interest intensified) I rang Cam and I was hysterical. And he said, ‘It’s OK. This is your truth and you now have to sit in it and stand in it and own it.’ So to have that support from him has been nothing short of beautiful.”
Carrie Bickmore and husband Chris Walker
Just a month after leaving her long-time spot as host of The Project, Carrie Bickmore announced she had split with her partner of 10 years, Chris Walker.
The pair confirmed the news in a statement shared to their Instagram stories in January.
“It’s with immense sadness that (Chris) and I have decided to separate,” the post began.
“While this is a tough time, our focus is to concentrate on parenting, loving and supporting our three amazing children, Ollie, Evie and Addie with everything we’ve got. They are doing great.”
Walker and 42-year-old Bickmore met on the set of The Project in 2012, about two years after the Adelaide-born TV star suffered the tragic loss of her first husband, Greg Lange, to brain cancer.
The couple took a break from their respective TV roles to live in the UK for a school term in 2022.
The shocking separation came after Walker stripped naked in front of colleagues in 2022, wrongly believing he had logged off a Skype call.
Workers were exposed to the confronting images during an online rehearsal meeting for The Weekly TV show.
Bickmore left The Project after 13 years and was followed out by Lisa Wilkinson.
Maria Thatti and Jorjia O’Hare
Miss Universe Australia Maria Thattil has dated a number of famous men, but it wasn’t until January when she appeared on the cover of Stellar magazine with then-girlfriend TikToker Jorjia O’Hare that she spoke about her love life.
“I have never publicly shared who I dated before this year. I’m generally a very private person,” Thattil said.
“When I became Miss Universe, I intentionally asked people I dated to keep it private because I didn’t want to be talked about as someone’s girlfriend.”
The author, podcaster, and actor confirmed to The Daily Telegraph in May that she and O’Hare had broken up.
Thattil attended St Columba’s Catholic College and “always had crushes on girls”. Yet growing up in a “conservative, religious household”, she didn’t understand her feelings.
In 2022, she was outed as bisexual on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!
Moana Hope and Isabella Carlstrom
In September, Thattil and AFLW player Moana Hope confirmed they were in a relationship.
Hope confirmed her separation from wife Isabella Carlstrom in May after four years of marriage and two children.
The loved-up pair made a splash at the NGV Gala in December. “I can make myself happy. I don’t need someone else to complete me and I’m living my life no matter what,” Thattil told Confidential. “I want someone who complements and brings joy and adds to my life. That’s what I’ve found with her.
“Mo and I share that view and really respect that in each other. It makes it special because we’re choosing each other.”
Kylie Minogue and Paul Solomons
Pop queen Kylie Minogue split from her British boyfriend of five years in February – just a year after returning to Australia. The former Neighbours star ended her relationship with London-based magazine executive Paul Solomons, The Sun reported, as she continued to work on her world tour.
The pair, who still follow one another on Instagram, were last pictured together on the red carpet of the ABBA Voyage in May.
A source close to the former GQ exec told the newspaper: “Long distance isn’t easy for any couple. Kylie and Paul really tried to make things work but ultimately the time difference was a killer – Paul couldn’t exactly nip to Melbourne for a long weekend whenever things got strained.
“Kylie initially wanted to keep the split quiet though as she really does not want the narrative to be ‘poor, unlucky-in-love-Kylie’s heartbreak’s again’.
In 2021, the couple – introduced through mutual friends in 2018 – were forced to spend nine months apart due to Covid, with Kylie holed-up in Oz and Paul in the UK.
Famously, Minogue, who has been dubbed “the queen of comebacks” after finding a new generation of fans with her 16th studio album Tension, has had a turbulent love life. After bursting to fame on cult Aussie soap Neighbours, the actor dated her on-screen love interest Jason Donovan.
The pair split after three years when the I Should Be So Lucky singer fell in love with late INXS rocker Michael Hutchence.
In 2005, she fell in love with French actor Olivier Martinez for five years. He was with her while she had breast cancer. The star also had relationships with Spanish models Andres Velencoso and Brit Joshua Sasse, to whom she got engaged in 2016.
Minogue’s June release of synthy dance banger Padam Padam in June saw her top music charts around the world for the first time since 2014, with everyone who assumed the 55-year-old’s attention was solely on her multi-million-pound wine company being proven wrong.
Eddie Benjamin and Maddie Ziegler
Singer-songwriter Eddie Benjamin and American actor Maddie Ziegler ended their three-year relationship “amicably” in February.
The pair, who often showcased their relationship on TikTok, first sparked dating rumours after they were seen holding hands in December 2019. Ziegler, who is best known for starring on Dance Moms and in Sia’s music videos, said they were “best friends” before becoming a couple.
While Benjamin doesn’t come from a Hollywood pedigree, he has made a real name for himself in California. The young Aussie is writing and producing songs for huge artists like Shawn Mendes and Meghan Trainor, and Justin Bieber.
Smith, 21, the daughter of Hollywood heavyweights Will and Jada Smith, and she’s been following the usual slightly random path of nepotism. She’s dabbled in everything from singing to acting before she even turned eighteen, and now, as an adult, she seems to be more doggedly pursuing her musical career.
Benjamin was spotted embracing Willow Smith – daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith – at Bronte Beach, with Benjamin pictured wrapping his arms around Smith’s waist and kissing the back of her arm.
The pair, who recently released the song Alone together, arrived in Sydney in December so Smith could support Benjamin as he gave a guest performance at the black-tie GQ Man of the Year Awards. Benjamin told the Telegraph Smith is his “homie” and “good friend”.
2023 MAFS cast
And that’s it for Married At First Sight 2023. The last remaining loved-up couple on the controversial reality TV dating show have called time on their relationship.
The Daily Telegraph revealed Tahnee Cook and Ollie Skelton broke up in recent weeks after giving romance its best shot.
“Sometimes love just doesn’t work,” Cook told The Daily Telegraph.
“Ollie is a great guy, we really gave it a shot and I wish him nothing but happiness. Unfortunately, our love story didn’t have the happy ending we were both hoping for. I’m really thankful for what these last 16 months has taught me.”
Cook and Skelton filmed the series in August 2022, with the series not going to air until earlier this year. They were one of the golden couples of the season and chose to continue the relationship in the real world when cameras stopped rolling.
Of the 12 couples who started the season, Mel and Layton stayed together for a few months but recently broke up also.
Kaftan queen Camilla Franks and JP Jones
Fashion royalty Camilla Franks and her fiance JP Jones split after seven years together.
The pair had a long and steadfast love affair, with Welsh muso and artist Jones by her side when Franks battled stage 3 breast cancer.
The pair welcomed a daughter, Luna Gypsy Jones, in January 2018, with Franks crediting the couple’s firstborn with “deepening” her love for her partner.
However, in recent years, the relationship is said to have been strained, with the couple spending less and less time together.
They first planned to get married in 2017, however put their wedding plans on hold when Franks found out she was pregnant two months ahead of their scheduled wedding in India.
When Franks was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in January 2018, just months after Luna was born, it was JP who was by her side, nursing her back to health.
Tim Blackwell and wife Monique
Nova radio host Tim Blackwell and his wife called time on their marriage after 14 years together.
Monique Blackwell, who wed the Ricki-Lee, Tim & Joel drive show co-host in 2009, shared the sad update on Instagram on December 11, the day data experts claim is the most common for couples to call it quits.
Research has uncovered December 11 is an acceptable date to break someone’s heart as it’s “close but not too close” to Christmas, with relationship experts saying Christmas time forces some couples to reflect on the year and realise their issues haven’t been resolved.
“Not all good things end, but this has,” the yoga instructor wrote in a caption alongside pictures of herself and Tim, 42.
Leisel Jones and Damon Martin
Aussie swimming icon Leisel Jones separated from husband Damon Martin in November.
The Olympic legend confirmed the marriage breakdown after a relationship of more than seven years.
The 38-year-old said they are both “extremely heartbroken” in confirming the news on her Brisbane radio show. “We have separated. It’s incredibly sad news,” she said.
“I have the deepest respect for Damo. It’s a very sad situation for both of us and a very hard decision to come to,” she said.
Cartia Mallan and Ben Chilwell
The Aussie model and influencer took to social media in May to share she’d parted ways with the 26-year-old.
Mallan shared a since-deleted TikTok last week showcasing her new blonde hair, with the caption: “Did you even break up if you didn’t dramatically change your hair?” Responding to one devastated follower in the comments, who declared they were “rooting” for the pair, the 24-year-old wrote: “We are still great friends.”
OVERSEAS
Some of the biggest international stars to break up this year include pop megastar Taylor Swift (from her six-year relationship with Joe Alwyn, then short fling with Matt Healy); Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner; Britney Spears and Sam Asghari; and Sofia Vergara and husband Joe Manganiello.
For better, for worse? MAFS Australia slammed for being toxic and outdated
Reality shows like Married at First Sight are outdated and dangerous and offer nothing but sensationalism at the expense of real human lives, writes Briana Domjen.
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