By Jessica Wedemeyer
7:28am PST, Feb 7, 2021
Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at the stars who found love, suffered heartbreak or experienced some other major event in their love lives in late January and early February 2020, starting with this fascinating coupling… Things just keep getting more interesting with this pairing: E! News reported on Feb. 2 that Shailene Woodley and Aaron Rodgers are still going strong several months after they were first romantically linked. "They have kept things private and low key," said a source. "They have seen each other and been in touch. They continue to talk and see each other when they can. They are both focused on their careers but they also make time for each other." Echoed an Us Weekly source, "They started off as friends, but things have turned romantic. The two are staying in contact while they are living away from each other. The relationship is long-distance for right now, but they are making it work." A People magazine source, meanwhile, added that the actress and the Green Bay Packers quarterback — who split from retired race car driver Danica Patrick last summer — are keeping things casual for now. However, speculation that things are far more serious between Aaron and Shailene exploded on Feb. 6 when Aaron revealed in a speech during the NFL Honors event (where he won his third NFL MVP award), "2020 was definitely a crazy year … I got engaged!" and also gave a shout-out to "my fiancée." Now keep reading for more of the week's biggest celeb love life updates…
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E! News reported on Feb. 3 that Kim Kardashian West's troubled relationship with Kanye West recently took another turn: Although there were reports last week that the duo "still communicate regularly," they're now "completely done and no longer speaking." Said an E! source of the mother of four, "She is trying to stay strong and move on with her life." According to the insider, Kim hasn't filed to legally end the marriage yet because she's "still working out the logistics of announcing the divorce." However, she views their breakup as "completely official in her mind." According to a second source, "Kanye is also completely done with the marriage and is moving on. … He doesn't care what Kim's priorities are with holding off on a divorce announcement. He will file before she's ready if he has to. He wants the divorce just as much as Kim does."
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Here's an unexpected scandal: On part one of the "Southern Charm" season 7 reunion, which filmed in late 2020 and aired on Jan. 28, Craig Conover accused Madison LeCroy — Austen Kroll's ex-girlfriend, who was recently involved in some Kristin Cavallari-Jay Cutler drama — of having an affair with an ex-MLB player. (During the reunion, Madison admitted that the mystery man "contacted" her and that they exchanged direct messages but insisted that "other than that, there was nothing" between them: She "never physically" saw him or "touched him.") After the accusation aired, the Internet erupted with rumors Madison had an affair with Alex Rodriguez. The evidence? The baseball star — who was previously accused of cheating on Jennifer Lopez with Jose Canseco's ex-wife, Madison lookalike Jessica Canseco — follows the "Southern Charm" star on Instagram and has liked several of her recent thirst-inducing snaps. A-Rod and Madison also reportedly stayed at the same New York City hotel at the same time in December 2020. (As the scandal started heating up online, social media sleuths noticed Alex unliked several of Madison's posts and also deleted the photo of himself at the NYC hotel from late last year.) Then on the Feb. 2 episode of the "Reality Life with Kate Casey" podcast, Madison's "Southern Charm" co-star Danni Baird revealed that Madison told her "months before" the reunion that she and Alex "were FaceTiming or something." The following day, Madison confirmed to Page Six that she and the former professional athlete — whom she described as "just an acquaintance" — have "spoken on the phone" but insisted that they "never met up," have "never been physical" and "never had any kind of anything." Said the blonde beauty, "He's never physically cheated on his fiancée with me." She added that they spoke "randomly" but not consistently and maintained that the nature of their communication was "innocent." An Alex-friendly source told Page Six that A-Rod "doesn't know" Madison and "definitely didn't hook up with her." (The source didn't deny that he'd slid into her DMs, though.) A second Page Six source insisted that "Alex and Jennifer are very happy." Meanwhile, several more anonymous women came forward on social media alleging that Alex has also slid into their DMs in recent years.
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What's the deal with Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott? On Feb. 2, E! News reported that, according to a source, the duo "are still madly in love." Said the source, "You can tell every time they are together that there is a lot of love there. Both of their faces light up when they are together and both seem very happy." The insider went on to say that the pair, who split in late 2019, are "amazing co-parents" to their daughter, Stormi Webster, and have a "great routine" but aren't officially back together. "Kylie and Travis spend a lot of time together with Stormi as a family and aren't ruling out getting back together. They aren't putting pressure on the relationship right now," said the source, adding that neither the makeup mogul nor the rapper are dating other people "at this moment." The following day, a People magazine source echoed that Kylie and Travis "spend a lot of time together" and are "great co-parents" but aren't a couple. Then on Feb. 4, "Entertainment Tonight" reported that, according to one of their sources, the former couple "act like they're an item because Kylie, Travis and Stormi are relatively inseparable for the most part." The "ET" insider added that the parents "are doing a great job co-parenting together with little to no drama" and are not "interested in dating others at this time."
On Jan. 28 — nearly a year after Julianne Hough and Ben Barnes were linked amid her marital issues with estranged husband Brooks Laich — the longtime pals stepped out for ice cream in Los Angeles, sparking a fresh round of rumors about the nature of their relationship. A witness told E! News that the duo "seem really close" and appeared "very flirty." A second source, however, noted that the "Dancing With the Stars" alum and the English actor "have been friends for eight years" and "there's nothing more to it."
Although there was a report in late January that Kristin Cavallari and her boyfriend of several months, Jeff Dye, had quietly called it quits, the duo appeared to be going strong when they exchanged flirty Valentines on their Instagram Stories on Feb. 2. The comedian addressed a fill-in-the-blank Valentine created as a promotion for Kristin's Uncommon James line to "K" and filled in the blanks to read, "You can skip the DISTANCE this year, I want DRINKS, DANCING, and YOU FROM Uncommon James." He signed the Valentine from "Jeffy" — which K.Cav affectionately called him before they said "I love you" to each other during a Jan. 8 Instagram Live. The mother of three, meanwhile, addressed her version of the fill-in-the-blank Valentine to "J" and kept her wish list more straightforward by shouting out her brand's line of signature candles.
On Jan. 28, The Sun reported that Pamela Anderson's new husband, Dan Hayhurst, was still involved with his former love of five years, a woman named Carey, when he starred seeing the "Baywatch" actress in early 2020. "This is not the lockdown love story which is being portrayed, it's all a facade," Carey alleged, claiming that Dan left her to move in with Pamela in July and that she had no idea he'd gotten married until she read about it in the press. "My almost five-year relationship … ended because of the affair Pam and Dan started while he was still with me. … [Their relationship] started with deceit, denials and life-shattering choices for all the people involved. It wasn't this romance that happened overnight. He worked with her for over six months before any of that happened. He wasn't her bodyguard then, he is a handyman, she hired him to work on her house. We were all totally blindsided by this, it's been so hard for us." Carey claims that in addition to her now-adult daughter, she raised Dan's two young children from a previous relationship. She went on to say that although Dan initially complained about working for Pam, describing her as "crazy" and a "dragon," things took a sudden turn amid the coronavirus pandemic. "COVID happened and it just seemed to happen overnight," she said. "Dan would stay at her house and not come home, and here I am taking care of the kids. At first he denied it when I confronted him but then, finally, I asked him, 'Are you sleeping with Pam?' He said, 'All I'm going to say is I've crossed the line.' At first he said, 'I want you to stay in our house. I don't want you to go. I just need to figure things out.' Later he apologized to me. He said, 'Carey, I love you. I don't know what is going on right now. I'm not in my right head right now. I'm not in a good space.' He asked me to give him time to figure things out so I just let him do what he was doing. And there was no turning back by then." Carey concluded by saying that Dan once told her he never wanted to get married again — and that she'd be "surprised" if the new marriage lasts.
Is Australian pop star Kylie Minogue engaged to Paul Solomons, the creative director of British GQ? The news was revealed when singer-actress Billie Piper referred to Paul — who's been dating Kylie since 2018 — as the pop star's "fiancé" in an interview with ELLE magazine published on Feb. 3. Paul's stepmother then confirmed the news to MailOnline, saying of Kylie, "She's very nice. I'm thrilled they're engaged." But on Feb. 4, Kylie's rep told The Sun, "It's not true. They are happy as they are."
Us Weekly reported on Feb. 2 that, according to a source, although Teresa Giudice and her new boyfriend, Luis Ruelas, are heating up, there are "no talks of an engagement" at this point. "Their relationship is way too premature to even consider marriage at this point," said the source. "They aren't rushing into anything. They are taking their time. … [They] both genuinely like each other and have a great relationship." The insider added that the businessman is "a really great guy" who makes the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star "very happy, and vice versa." Teresa, meanwhile, "is living her life" and "having fun."
Us Weekly reported on Feb. 3 that, according to a source, Scott Disick is "aware" of the fact that Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker are "together" and is "OK with it" because he and his former long-term partner "haven't been dating for a while." Explained the source, "He isn't jealous over their romance because he believes he still has the upper hand being [their three] kids' father." The insider went on to say that Scott and Kourtney have "an incredibly special bond that no one can ever come between" and that their "history together and love for each other can't be touched by anyone else" — which they both know.
Rebel Wilson revealed on Instagram on Feb. 2 that she and Jacob Busch are no longer an item: In the caption of a photo of herself looking all dolled up while posing outside a makeup trailer, the Australian actress described herself as a "single girl heading to Super-Bowl." 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 reported on Feb. 3 that, according to a source, Gleb Savchenko and Cassie Scerbo — who were first linked late last year amid his messy split from wife Elena Samodanova — "are taking a break" and "aren't seeing each other right now." Explained the source, "They haven't exactly split but are just spending time apart. … [They're] still in touch with each other. … Cassie has been back and forth to Florida visiting family and Gleb has been spending time with his kids in Los Angeles. He's also trying to make things more cordial with his soon-to-be ex-wife. His family is his focus right now and he's handling things privately. … Elena has made her feelings clear on social media and was really upset over Gleb going on vacation to Mexico with Cassie. She went crazy over this and couldn't believe he went so public with a new relationship so quickly. It was sort of a slap in the face." Now, the father of two "just wants things to be OK between him and Elena for the sake of the kids." Continued the source, "He wants to be on friendly terms with Elena so their divorce can be smooth sailing. Because of this, he's taken a step back from dating Cassie in order to help heal his relationship with his ex."
On Feb. 2, E! News shed some light on Armie Hammer's history of infidelity while married to Elizabeth Chambers. Paraphrasing a source close to the mother of two, E! reported that "a couple years ago," the "Call Me By Your Name" star first confessed to his wife that he'd cheated on her and that it was not "a one-time situation." At the time, he was "extremely apologetic and intent on trying to make [the marriage] work," so he and Elizabeth entered marriage therapy. They "did keep on trying to save their marriage until it fell apart for good," E! noted.
In other cheating news… During part one of the "Southern Charm" season 7 reunion, which filmed in late 2020 and aired on Jan. 28, Shep Rose revealed that he previously cheated on his girlfriend, Taylor Ann Green. "We've had a few hiccups," he said. "There were some text messages. … I kissed a girl in a stairwell, and that's all it was. … It was an old flame, and we were texting … and nothing ever came of it. It was a moment of weakness. I was drinking, but that's all it was — and I'll go to my grave knowing that that's true." Shep went on to describe how he and Taylor bounced back after he came clean about his indiscretion: "She goes, 'Look, I hate what happened and it hurt me a lot, however, I'd like to stay with you. I'm in love with you. You make me happy,'" he recalled. "And we cried, and it was like a big deal."
"Entertainment Tonight" reported on Feb. 2 that, according to a source, Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas "still text regularly and communicate" following their recent breakup. "Who knows what the future will hold for them," said the source, adding that the father of three "is taking care of himself and focused on his kids" for now. "Ben is happy, healthy and doing great since his breakup with Ana," the insider continued. "Ben's friends and [ex-wife] Jen Garner are supportive of him moving on. Those close to Ben thought the relationship wasn't working for either of them anymore."
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 the Jan. 28 episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Laverne Cox revealed she has a secret boyfriend of six months. "It almost sounds like a punchline, but, yeah, Laverne is in love again. It feels amazing," she gushed. "He's a really great guy, and I didn't expect it. I thought he was just going to be this hot dude I was going to be hanging out with and then it just kind of happened. … We went really slowly, so the word 'love' just sort of happened like around November [or] December." She added that her beau "has never dated a trans woman before" — like her last two boyfriends.
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 the Feb. 3 episode of "The Tonight Show," JoJo Siwa revealed tha she's currently in a long-distance relationship with "the most amazing, wonderful, perfect, most beautiful girlfriend in the whole world." The "Dance Moms" alum, who came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in late January, kept her girlfriend's identity under wraps.
Kate Bock announced on Instagram on Jan. 31 that she and her boyfriend of four years, professional basketball player Kevin Love, are engaged. "Well, this was the best birthday surprise I could have ever imagined. I couldn't be happier to have been asked to be a Love by my love. Heart bursting all day & night," the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue model captioned a slideshow of photos depicting the proposal and showing off her new engagement ring. According to Us Weekly, the athlete popped the question during dinner at Lilia in New York City, and the bride-to-be didn't see it coming: "I was completely surprised!" she gushed.
Harry Hudson and Eve Jobs — Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' youngest daughter — made their relationship Instagram official on Jan. 23. The blonde beauty shared a slideshow of photos of herself and the "Yellow Lights" singer packing on the PDA, which she captioned simply, "team." Harry also shared a slideshow of PDA-packed photos along with the caption, "Took my time yeah yeah."
"Big Brother" stars Angela Rummans and Tyler Crispen announced their engagement on Instagram on Jan. 31. "YES to forever and ever and always. You and me babe, for the rest of time. 1.10.2021. 'If it's meant to be, it'll be.' Thank you for giving me the best and most perfect day of my life. I love you more than I can say in words, and I cannot wait for the next chapter of our lives. For now, let's savor this time and soak in all of the excitement our future holds. … He got me good! I had no idea this day was going to turn into a day that would change our lives forever," she captioned a slideshow of photos depicting the proposal, which went down on the beach during a visit to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. Tyler, meanwhile, captioned a slideshow of proposal pics, "The greatest day of my life. WE'RE ENGAGED! @angelarummans You make everyday seem like a dream come true and I am now officially the luckiest person on the face of the earth. I'll love you to infinity and beyond."
Drew Barrymore's ex-husband, Chanel scion Will Kopelman, got engaged to his new girlfriend, Vogue editor Alexandra Michler, on Jan. 30, he announced on Instagram. "Love you love you love you love you 1/30/2021," he captioned a photo of himself pecking the blonde beauty on the cheek as she smiled with her new engagement bling on full display.
During an interview with "Extra" that debuted online on Jan. 28, Ricki Lake opened up about her new boyfriend, an "amazing" man named Ross Burningham. "He was kind of my booty call for a few months, and then things took a turn on Halloween," she said, adding that they've "been living together." Gushed the "Hairspray" alum, "Honestly, I'm 52 years of age, I did not think this would happen again." Although she demurred when asked if wedding bells could be in their future, Ricki conceded, "I'm definitely open to whatever and he's the person I want to grow old with."
During an interview with E! News that debuted online on Feb. 1, Bachelor Nation's J.P. Rosenbaum said that things with his estranged wife, Ashley Hebert, are "really as amicable as one could hope for" in the wake of their 2020 split. "We always got along," he said. "She and I have been in the same place for months and months now. We're fine, we're friendly, we co-parent. We know we're going to be in each other's lives forever. There's no fighting, which is great. … Even though things were only made public a few months ago, we've been dealing with it for a lot longer. … We're in a rhythm." He then opened up about dating again, noting that he's eager "to start the next chapter" of his life but also "terrified." Said the former reality star, "It's been almost 10 years of not dating. So I have to figure out what this next stage of dating will look like for me. I do feel like I'm a little bit stuck and I want to turn the page, I'm just not sure how to do that." He went on to say that he's not thrilled by the prospect of looking for love online: "I'm old-fashioned, I like things to happen organically," said the father of two. "But at the same time, that's not the world we live in right now. It's not like we're going out to bars." He then shared one of his biggest concerns about online dating: "You don't know what their motives are, so that frightens me," he said.
During a Jan. 27 interview with Us Weekly, singer-actress Chloe Lattanzi — Olivia Newton-John's daughter — revealed that she and her fiancé of a decade, James Driskill, are finally planning to tie the knot sometime this year. "I want to do it so I can be, like, 'Yes, we're married,'" she said, noting that she's already picked a wedding dress and that they hope to have "a small wedding." The "Sharknado 5: Global Swarming" star added that she and her longtime love "are unconventional" and feel like they've "been married in spirit since the moment we met."
