From Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth to the Bartels: Celebrity breakups (and hook-ups) of 2019
Jaws dropped when Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus announced their split after being married for just eight months. And the celebrity relationship drama didn’t end there.
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If there’s one star couple who defined the hook ups and breaks ups drama of 2019, it’s Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus.
A short-lived marriage, a divorce, and multiple rebound “relationships” played out in front of the paparazzi – it was the split that kept on going.
Of course, there were plenty of other stars whose romantic entanglements – and shock splits – has us completely gobsmacked.
LIAM AND MILEY
Jaws collectively dropped worldwide when Cyrus, 27, announced her marriage to Australian heart-throb Hemsworth, 29, was over in August, after a ten-year on/off romance (they are currently in the process of divorcing), and just eight months of marriage.
In a statement, the couple’s rep said at the time: “Liam and Miley have agreed to separate at this time”.
“Ever-evolving, changing as partners and individuals, they have decided this is what’s best while they both focus on themselves and careers.
“They still remain dedicated parents to all of their animals they share while lovingly taking this time apart. Please respect their process and privacy.”
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Hunger Games star Hemsworth kept a low-profile after his marriage to Cyrus ended, pulling out of all publicity commitments for his latest movie, Killerman, as he was in “no shape” to speak publicly about the split.
In October, Hemsworth was briefly linked to Australian-born actor Maddison Brown after they were seen out together in New York. This month, Hemsworth has seen with Sydney-based model Gabriella Brooks in Byron Bay, where the rumoured couple had lunch with his parents, Craig and Leonie (Brooks had split from her famous ex, Matt Healy of British band The 1975, earlier this year).
MILEY AND KAITLYNN
The Miley-Liam headlines did not end there. Shortly after news of their split made news, Cyrus started seeing Kaitlynn Carter: a long-time friend and budding reality TV star who was once “married” to The Hills’ Brody Jenner.
The very public romance between Miley and Kaitlynn ended almost as quickly as it began. After a whirlwind of PDAs and paparazzi tip-offs, the couple split in September.
“Miley and Kaitlynn broke up,” a source told People. “They’re still friends.”
“They’ve been friends forever and were there for each other when they were both getting separated … but they’re just not in a romantic relationship anymore.”
Penning an essay for American Elle, Carter reflected on her romance with Cyrus.
“Although the relationship with my friend was often referenced in the media as merely a ‘summer fling’ or a ‘same-sex affair,’ it was so much more than that,” Carter said in Elle magazine.
“This was a profound journey of self-discovery.”
MILEY AND CODY
Cyrus’s love life continued to attract attention when she hooked up with Australian singer Cody Simpson. The pair said to still be seeing each other, despite rumours of a split.
Perhaps the most notable element of that relationship has been Cyrus and Simpson’s constant mushy PDA on social media, including loved-up selfies and love song dedications.
“I’m very, very, very romantic,” Simpson said on The Kyle & Jackie O Show. “I don’t think she … she’d talked about how she hadn’t had that kind of an experience in a relationship before.”
While there had not been as much social media activity from the pair lately, a source told E! News that they “are fine and are still dating”.
The relationship certainly brought Simpson’s name back into the spotlight, and was perfectly timed for his stint on Ten’s The Masked Singer (where he was the winner in the “robot” costume).
NADIA AND JIMMY BARTEL
They were once one of the AFL’s golden couple but Nadia and Jimmy Bartel’s marriage ended amid rumours of a new love interest.
In August, Instagram star Nadia confirmed the pair – who had been married for five years and share two sons – had split.
“It’s been a very difficult month for me and the boys. Although I’m heartbroken, I don’t want to comment specifically on what’s been reported about Jim’s trip to the UK as I don’t think that is in anyone’s interests,” she told the Herald Sun in a statement.
“My single focus now is to continue to protect, care and provide for my two beautiful boys as this is a personal matter.”
The couple sparked break-up rumours about a week before confirming their split after they unfollowed each other on Instagram, and they were also spotted without their wedding rings.
Former Geelong star Jimmy has since publicly confirmed his new relationship with Melbourne woman Lauren Mand.
BEN SIMMONS AND KENDALL JENNER
It was hard to keep up with Kendall Jenner and Australian NBA star Ben Simmons, as the pair kept their relationship out of the spotlight.
In May, reports emerged that Simmons – who plays for the Philadelphia 76ers – and the world’s highest-paid supermodel had parted ways.
At the same time as a Vogue Australia exclusive with Jenner — where she spoke of potentially marrying Simmons (“Maybe. Definitely not now, but maybe one day”), he was partying solo in Atlantic City.
Multiple sources familiar with the couple confirmed that they had broken up, after dating on and off for about a year.
SHANINA SHAIK AND DJ RUCKUS
Australian model Shanina Shaik went public with her separation from husband DJ Ruckus (aka Gregory Andrews), after just over a year as husband and wife.
The couple – who tired the knot in April 2018 with a lavish wedding in the Bahamas – were plagued by split rumours just months after they tied the knot.
Shaik filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, according to TMZ, and reportedly asked for spousal support from Andrews.
The pair met at Coachella in 2015 and became engaged in December that year.
Melbourne-raised Shaik has not commented publicly on the break-up, though posted cryptic quotes to Instagram around the time of their break-up, including: “Now, women forget all those things they don’t want to remember, and remember everything they don’t want to forget,” suggesting it may have been an ugly split”.
Last month, Shaik, 28, revealed she is in a new relationship though did not reveal the name of her new boyfriend.
In a revealing Instagram post, she wrote: “I will admit this was the hardest year of my life. I was dealing with the biggest heartache”.
“So many things I wish I could share with all of you but I choose to keep my personal stories close to my heart and heal,” she added.
“After dealing with a huge loss in my life, I GAVE UP ON LOVE I didn’t want it or believed that a true love could exist.
“I was broken … You took me by surprise and made me believe that a BEAUTIFUL love exists! It’s kind, supporting, romantic and friendly. You’re my best friend!”
BACHELOR COUPLE MATT AGNEW AND CHELSIE MCLEOD
Love, it turns out, was not a reality for The Bachelor couple Matt Agnew and Chelsie McLeod.
The pair announced their shock split just weeks after the finale of the dating show.
Agnew said the six month’s since filming ended had been a “very unique experience” but said their relationship didn’t “translate” into the outside world.
“Chels and I have made some beautiful memories together that I’ll always cherish, and I wish her nothing but the absolute best,” astrophysicist Agnew wrote.
“However, it’s with a heavy heart that I write this. For Chels and me, our relationship hasn’t translated from filming to the real, every day world as we had hoped.”
“For those who may wonder if there’s someone else for me right now, there absolutely is not,” he said.
“It’s no one’s fault, it’s just life.”
McLeod opened up about the break-up last month, saying: “My heart is broken”.
“It’s definitely been rough,” McLeod said in an Instagram Q&A. “I do not deal with heartbreak well and yeah, my heart is broken. This sucks.
“A lot of you want to know what happened between Matt and I. I am going to respect his privacy and not go into details,” McLeod, a chemical engineer, said.
“It’s a hard situation and it takes two strong people with a strong connection to get through stages from filming to the end.”
SAM AND PHOEBE BURGESS
Former NRL glamour couple Sam Burgess and Phoebe Burgess confirmed they had broken up – again – in October, putting an end to their four year marriage.
It was the second time in 10 months that they called it quits, in what is best described as a messy split.
An earlier break-up happened in January, three weeks after the couple welcomed their newborn son William.
By March, the couple – who have two children together – were said to be “back on track” after Phoebe was pictured supporting Sam as he trained with the Rabbitohs. Of the short-lived reconciliation, Phoebe told Stellar: “Every person on this planet who is married knows it isn’t perfect. It’s never going to be perfect … Sam and I will have good days and we’ll have trying days”.
But by October, the marriage was over. “They tried to give it a go but it just didn’t work,” a source told The Sunday Telegraph. “The most important thing for them is that their children are happy and healthy, that is their priority”.
NEW LOVE! EMMA WATKINS AND OLIVER BRIAN
It wasn’t all heartbreak for celebrity couples in 2019. Emma Watkins (aka Emma Wiggle) revealed she has found love again after her split from ex-husband, Purple Wiggle, Lachy Gillespie.
“Yes, I’m in love and I feel very excited to tell you,” the 30-year-old told Stellar earlier this month, of her new boyfriend, The Wiggles’ musician Oliver Brian.
“I haven’t actually told anybody because it’s new, but I feel happy,” Watkins said, explaining that she and her new beau had worked together and were friends for four years before becoming romantically involved.
“He’s very opposite to me,” Watkins said. “He’s a very calm and thoughtful person and I’ve always been interested in his mind and his take on life, and his morals.
“He loves talking about the environment and food production. It’s not very ‘Wiggly’, but it’s been nice for me to talk about things not just concerning ourselves, but people everywhere around the world.”
Originally published as From Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth to the Bartels: Celebrity breakups (and hook-ups) of 2019