By Jessica Wedemeyer
6:02am PST, Feb 9, 2021
Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at all the celeb couples who called it quits in 2021 — or whose splits came to light this year — starting with this pair… On Feb. 8, E! News confirmed speculation that Ashely Benson and G-Eazy called it quits after a little less than a year of coupledom. The duo sparked split speculation when the actress unfollowed the rapper-actor on Instagram. Now keep reading for more of the year's biggest celeb breakups…
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On Jan. 18, People magazine broke the news that Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas amicably called it quits after about a year of coupledom. The 32-year-old actress reportedly dumped the 48-year-old Oscar winner over her desire to travel and eventually have children of her own. According to multiple sources, Ben — who's raising his three children with ex-wife Jennifer Garner in Los Angeles — isn't interested in living elsewhere or adding to his brood. A Page Six source said there's a possibility the "Deep Water" co-stars "could get back together" because they are still "in love" and "people who know them believe [the breakup is] temporary."
RELATED: Ben's romance retrospective
On the morning of Jan. 19, multiple media outlets reported that Clare Crawley and Dale Moss — who got engaged just four episodes into season 16 of "The Bachelorette" in mid-2020 — had hit a rough patch in their relationship. Just hours after those reports hit the Internet, the former professional football player took to Instagram to announce that they'd actually "decided to go our separate ways." Initial reports indicated the duo came to the conclusion that they'd rushed into things once they really got to know each other and realized they want different things in life: Clare, who wants to settle down and have children as soon as possible, is based in suburban Sacramento, California, where she's caring for her mother, who has Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Dale, meanwhile, is focused on building his brand and career in New York City. But soon, a different picture of the breakup emerged, with Us Weekly and "Entertainment Tonight" reporting that Dale dumped Clare over behavior that caused "friction" with his family. Two days after the male model announced the breakup, the hairstylist finally addressed the split on Instagram, writing that she was "crushed" and essentially blindsided. E! News then reported that, according to multiple sources, Dale had been cheating on Clare throughout their relationship with a woman he'd been seeing since at least late 2019. Sources close to Dale, meanwhile, insisted his relationship with his longtime pal, who's a real estate agent, was completely platonic and that she was simply helping him find an apartment to share with Clare in New York City. (Clare and Dale also faced cheating rumors late last year.) Another E! source said that Clare was under the impression she and Dale "were working on their relationship" until he "abruptly posted to his Instagram page that they had parted ways." Still, a Dale-friendly source claimed Clare was misrepresenting the timeline, insisting he wanted to announce the breakup a week earlier but agreed to keep quiet while she processed things. "She feels he knew the truth was going to come out about his shady friendship … [and] wanted to break up quickly because the truth was eventually going to come out," said one of the Clare-friendly sources.
On Jan. 7, People magazine broke the news that Shia LaBeouf and Margaret Qualley's whirlwind romance came to an end five days earlier. "They're just in different places in their lives," said one source, while another insider implied the young actress broke up with the troubled former child star over the "backlash" they both received when some of his former loves accused him of abuse in a headline-making lawsuit.
Rebel Wilson revealed on Instagram on Feb. 2 that she and Jacob Busch are no longer an item. According to a People magazine source, "Jacob was an amazing guy but just not the one for her long-term." A Page Six source, meanwhile, said that the relationship had "just run its course." (Jacob's regular appearances on Rebel's Instagram feed came to an end on Christmas Eve.) Us Weekly later reported that the Australian actress dumped the Anheuser-Busch scion via text in mid-January, leaving him "really upset" and "blindsided."
Tim Robbins filed to divorce marketing executive Gratiela Brancusi — who's reportedly 29 years his junior — in Los Angeles on Jan. 27. It was the first indication the under-the-radar duo, who were first linked in early 2018, had tied the knot. It was the first marriage for the 62-year-old Oscar winner, who was famously in a relationship with Susan Sarandon for more than 20 years.
Elliot Page filed to divorce his wife of three years, dancer-choreographer Emma Portner, in New York City on Jan. 26. "After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce following our separation last summer. We have the utmost respect for each other and remain close friends," the former couple said in a joint statement.
During an interview with the British newspaper The Times that debuted online on Jan. 8, Luke Evans confirmed speculation that he and his boyfriend of about a year and a half, art director Rafael Olarra, called it quits. "It is what it is," said the Welsh actor.
On Jan. 25, "The Vampire Diaries" actress Alice Evans claimed on Twitter that her "beloved husband/soulmate of 20 years," Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd, had "announced he is to leave his family, starting next week." Wrote the mother of two of her "sad news" in a since-deleted tweet, "Me and our young daughters are very confused and sad. We haven't been given a reason except that he 'no longer loves me.' I'm so sorry." She later claimed that she was being "gaslit and mentally tortured" and alleged that she'd experienced "six months of harassment: yes/no/maybe" — purportedly related to Ioan's indecisiveness over whether or not to leave the relationship — and added that she "cannot live anymore like this." The estranged couple then released a joint statement reading, "As you can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for our family and we remain committed to our children." Later, Ioan's father, Peter, told MailOnline that the family has been "aware" of the issues between the "Fantastic Four" actor and his wife. Other Daily Mail sources hypothesized "that there's probably another person involved." (They did not provide evidence to prove that suspicion.) One insider said he or she was "not at all surprised" by the drama between Ioan and Alice because he's a known flirt. On Jan. 28, The Sun reported that Ioan's mother, Margaret, insisted that cheating did not play a role in the breakup. A source told the British tabloid, "Ioan has just told his wife he's decided it isn't working and he wants to move on, but obviously, for her, there are a lot of questions over why. Within the [entertainment] industry, there are a lot of raised eyebrows about whether things might be to do with his time working away in Australia. Obviously his career has taken him all over the world recently, which has put strain on the family for a while now — but the timing of this has set a lot of tongues wagging."
On Jan. 23, The Root released an exclusive statement from Marc Daly announcing that "after recently attending mediation," he and off-and-on love Kenya Moore "have agreed to end our marriage." Wrote the restauranteur, "I will always have great care for her and look forward to amicably continuing to co-parent our daughter Brooklyn with an abundance of love and wisdom." The duo first split in the summer of 2019 but then spent the next year and a half working on their relationship. Kenya has yet to address their latest breakup.
People magazine reported on Jan. 29 that "The Mentalist" alum Simon Baker his wife of nearly three decades, actress Rebecca Rigg, quietly separated in April 2020. "We remain close friends and our three children will always be the most important focus of our lives," the former couple said in a joint statement.
On Jan. 11, LeToya Luckett and her husband of three years, Tommicus Walker, announced on Instagram that they'd "decided to get a divorce." On his Instagram Story, Tommi said he "never wanted a divorce" and hit back at rumors claiming he strayed from the marriage. (In August, an Instagram model from Dallas alleged she had an affair with Tommi … and that she wasn't the only one with whom he cheated on LeToya, who gave birth to their second child in September.)
On Feb. 5, E! News confirmed speculation that Karrueche Tran and Victor Cruz called it quits after three years of coupledom. "There are no hard feelings. This is just a case of two people moving forward in life separately. … They will always wish the best for each other," said a source, noting that the actress and the former professional football player are "focused on continuing to grow their successful careers." The duo reportedly hit a speed bump when they were forced to quarantine separately amid the coronavirus pandemic: The "Claws" star is based on the West Coast, while Victor quarantined in New Jersey with his 9-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.
On Feb. 3, Us Weekly reported that James Marsters' wife of a decade, Patricia Rahman, recently filed to divorce the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" alum in Los Angeles.
On Jan. 19, "The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart" winners Bri Stauss and Chris Watson released a joint statement to E! News announcing that "with deep admiration and respect for one another, we have decided to end our relationship and go our separate ways." They also hinted that they'll possibly continue "making music together."
Us Weekly reported on Jan. 27 that "Summer House" star Lindsay Hubbard recently split from her boyfriend of about a year and a half, Stephen Traversie. A trailer for the fifth season of the Bravo show, which debuted on Jan. 28, showed the publicist arguing with her beau and then hooking up with housemate Luke Gulbranson.
On Jan. 9, Cely Vazquez tweeted that she and former "Love Island" co-star Johnny Middlebrooks "are no longer together." Johnny, meanwhile, confirmed the breakup news on his Instagram Story.
