2023 celebrity breakups: A look back at the A-list heartbreaks from Taylor Swift to Sophie Turner

It's been a whirlwind year of heartbreak and divorce
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Lisa McLoughlin 29 December 2023
The Weekender

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In 2023, we've seen that celebrity breakups can either be seriously acrimonious, or surprisingly discreet - we see you Meryl Streep and Don Gummer.

One thing is for certain though, when the biggest stars go their separate ways, drama and speculation are never far behind no matter how tightly their PR teams attempt to control the narrative of them "consciously uncoupling" - leaving pop culture enthusiasts gripped.

So let's jog our memories over who called it quits this year.

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn — then Matt Healy

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn started dating back in 2016, with many expecting them to announce an engagement.

However, very unexpectedly, in early April, it was reported that the couple had split after six years together after the British actor was noticeably absent from her Eras Tour.

A source told the website Entertainment Tonight that the split was amicable and “not dramatic”, adding the relationship had “just run its course”.

Shortly after reports of Swift’s newfound singledom emerged, she was pictured with musician Matt Healy, but their fling only lasted a number of weeks.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and singer Taylor Swift leave Arrowhead stadium after an NFL football game between the Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Octber 22, 2023
AP

Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth

Reese Witherspoon announced her split from husband Jim Toth after 11 years of marriage in March.

In a statement posted to the Oscar winner’s Instagram, the couple, who share a son, wrote: “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. Reese and Jim.”

The pair got engaged in December 2010 after 10 months of dating and wed the following March, on Witherspoon’s ranch in California. Their son, Tennessee James Toth, was born a year later in September 2012.

The Big Little Lies star is also mother to Ava Elizabeth, 24, and Deacon Reese, 20, whom she shares with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe.

Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello

The Hollywood stars shocked many when they confirmed that they were getting a divorce following seven years of marriage in July.

In a joint statement, the pair, who got engaged after six months of dating, said: “We have made the difficult decision to divorce.

“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.”

Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez

It was revealed in July that Grammy winner Ariana Grande and her husband of two years had called time on their marriage.

At the time, insiders told TMZ they were having issues before she left for London to film the movie-adaptation of Wicked and had separated in January.

“There was no cheating, no resentment between them, the marriage just simply didn’t work out. These things happen,” a source told the outlet.

Britney Spears and Sam Asghari

Britney Spears and Sam Asghari split after a little more than a year of marriage.

The 29-year-old filed for divorce from the Toxic singer, 41, citing “irreconcilable differences”, with US new outlet TMZ recently revealing that a divorce settlement is likely to be announced “imminently”.

They met while filming the Slumber Party music video in 2016 and got engaged in September 2021 as the process to end her contentious conservatorship, the court order that governed her life and finances, started.

Britney Spears and Sam Asghari (Jordan Strauss/AP/PA)
AP

They exchanged vows at the US singer’s Los Angeles home with Drew Barrymore, Paris Hilton, Madonna and Selena Gomez in attendance.

Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith left fans stunned when she announced that she and husband Will Smith had been separated for six years at the time of his altercation with Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards.

When asked about the state of their marriage, she told People: “We’re still figuring it out.

“We’ve been doing some really heavy-duty work together. We just got deep love for each other and we are going to figure out what that looks like for us.”

Despite splitting, the Matrix actress said the pair have no plans to legally divorce, explaining "I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce.

"We will work through whatever. And I just haven’t been able to break that promise."

Their ‘unconventional’ marriage hit headlines over the years, notably when she revealed she had engaged in an “entanglement” with singer, August Alsina, who is 21 years her junior.

Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith attending the Vanity Fair Oscar Party held at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills in 2022 (Doug Peters/PA)
PA Archive

Meryl Streep and Don Gummer

Following Smith’s lead, a spokesperson for Meryl Streep confirmed in October that the Oscar winning actress and her husband of five decades, Don Gummer, have been separated for six years.

The star’s rep said in a statement: “Don Gummer and Meryl Streep have been separated for more than six years. While they will always care for each other, they have chosen lives apart.”

The pair tied the knot in 1978 and share four children: Henry, 43, Mamie, 40, Grace, 37, and Louisa, 32.

The former couple's last public appearance together was at the 2018 Academy Awards.

Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas

In September, red carpet regulars Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner split after four years of marriage.

The Cake By The Ocean singer, 34, filed for divorce on September 5 and stated that their relationship was “irretrievably broken.”

Since then, the pair have reached a temporary custody agreement for daughters Willa and Delphine in November.

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner pictured at the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party
Getty Images

Neither Turner nor Jonas have publicly commented on the divorce outside of a shared statement posted to Instagram.

But it has been widely reported that the split has become acrimonious, with Turner suing Jonas for the “wrongful retention” of their two children in New York, and claiming that she had learned that Jonas was filing for divorce only through the media.

Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Jackman

After 27 years of marriage and two children, Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness announced their separation days after Turner and Jonas’ in September.

The duo wrote in a joint statement to People: “We have been blessed to share almost 3 decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage.

“Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.”

The pair, who wed in 1996, called their family their “highest priority,” adding, “We undertake this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness.”

Joshua Jackson and Jodie Turner Smith

Jodie Turner-Smith and Joshua Jackson were another couple not meant to be this year, after they called time on their relationship following four years of marriage.

The British actress filed for divorce from Jackson on October 2, citing “irreconcilable differences” like many on this list before her.

While they finalise their divorce, it was reported that they had come to a custody agreement of their three-year-old daughter, Juno Rose Diana.

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