By Jessica Wedemeyer
5:22am PDT, Aug 13, 2020
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 mid-August 2020, starting with this good news… On the Aug. 12 episode of Us Weekly's "Hot Hollywood" podcast, a source said that Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West are "in a better place" following their early August family vacation to the Dominican Republic, which has been described as a last-ditch effort to save their marriage. Said a second Us Weekly source, "Kim is focused on healing her relationship with Kanye and has been busy taking care of their kids and him. She has been helping and supporting him a ton while he's been struggling with his mental health and wants him to know and feel that she is there for him through thick and thin. … The quarantine has been hard on Kanye and, in turn, has been difficult for her too. Their marriage definitely faced some hardships and was just hanging on with Kanye not being able to fully be present for their family, but ultimately Kim wants to keep everyone together and work things out for their kids. … Their vacation definitely helped put things at ease for the time being, but the issues they were dealing with go deeper than that and unfortunately won't just be solved with a trip." Now keep reading for more of the week's biggest celeb love life updates…
RELATED: Celeb splits of 2020
That was fast! Us Weekly reported on Aug. 6 that, according to a source, Scott Disick's recently rekindled romance with Sofia Richie has "simmered down a little" as he makes "a big effort to refocus on himself and his family" amid his recent mental health issues. "Their relationship has taken a bit of a backseat and it's not either of their main priorities right now," said the source.
Tyra Banks sparked rumors that she and her boyfriend, Louis Bélanger-Martin, are secretly engaged when she sported a massive diamond sparkler during an Aug. 8 outing in Santa Monica, California. (See it here.) But four days later, Us Weekly reported that, according to a source, they're "not engaged."
When the third season of "Selling Sunset" debuted on Aug. 7, fans were treated to an inside look at Chrishell Stause's surprise late-2019 split from Justin Hartley. While chatting with one of her co-stars, the former "Days of Our Lives" actress revealed that she found out her marriage was over when Justin texted to tell her he'd filed for divorce. "Forty-five minutes later, the world knew," she said, adding that at first, she didn't think Justin was serious. "In a fight, that's his go-to: 'I'm out. I'm out.' I hate that kind of impulsive stuff, but I always thought that's just an issue that we work through," she explained. "I talked to him right after [he filed for divorce] because I thought that must be a joke, but that was kind of the end of the communication." She then marveled, "It's so weird. Whose life am I living? … It's just so strange." During a confessional, Chrishell added, "Because of the crazy way in which this went down, people want answers, and I want answers." She later told Us Weekly that she allowed the Netflix show to chronicle her heartbreak because it gives "a little bit of purpose to the pain." Justin, meanwhile, is "irritated" that his ex is "airing their private information publicly," said an Us Weekly source. "[He] knows there is more to the story than is being told. His close friends and family know what really happened, as does Chrishell, so ultimately it's her choice of what is put out there," added the insider. On "Selling Sunset," Chrishell cryptically said that "outer elements have reared their ugly head and inserted themselves" into her relationship with Justin — which many viewers interpreted to mean that after he shot into the spotlight with "This Is Us," he changed. Said Us Weekly's source, "The claims made in the show that something changed in Justin after his 'This is Us' fame are completely false. Chrishell knows that's not what happened, so for her to let people believe that is upsetting to him." The insider added that the actor "is in a good place" and "wants to just move on." In the days that followed, however, the plot thickened…
On Aug. 12, Us Weekly reported that, according to a source, Justin Hartley's "friends are glad" that Chrishell Stause "is no longer in his life and that he can move on." Said the source, "He is doing well right now, and while it's been disappointing that he is being dragged into story lines on reality TV, he knew that he should expect this. … Justin is a great, stand-up guy, and he wants to move on with his life in a classy way." Meanwhile, the "Selling Sunset" star hinted that her estranged hubby was unfaithful when she liked two telling tweets. The first questioned the timeline of Justin's relationship with his new girlfriend, Sofia Pernas: "@justinhartley filmed a movie in Canada at the same time his new gf @SofiaPernas was filming the summer before [he and Chrishell] split. The timing seems like he probably cheated on @Chrishell7 and took a coward's way out to avoid spousal support and gaslight her," read the tweet. The second tweet links to a Blind Gossip story about a TV star's "sudden divorce" and his "genuinely shocked" spouse. According to the report, an unnamed male TV star fell in love with another woman but first accused his wife, who "did suspect he was cheating," of having an affair. According to a source, the TV star found some messages between his wife and her ex, which allowed him to go on the offensive. "That totally put her on the defensive. She was so worried about trying to prove HER innocence that she couldn't even go after him for HIS cheating," said the insider, adding that the wife was "shocked" and that the male TV star "basically kicked her out of the house" after filing for divorce. (Chrishell has said on "Selling Sunset" that she was essentially forced to flee the home share shared with the "This Is Us" actor after he filed to legally end their marriage.) The report also notes that the jilted wife is "pushing 40." (Chrishell, by the way, turned 39 in late July.) According to one Us Weekly source, however, the rumors that Justin cheated are "absolutely false." He "didn't even start talking to Sofia until the spring of 2020," said the source. Us Weekly reports that while Chrishell "may have been told when the divorce paperwork was filed via text message, the marriage had been on the rocks for quite some time and the filing was not a surprise."
Meanwhile, Justin Hartley's first wife, Lindsay Korman-Hartley, took to Instagram on Aug. 11 to show support for him amid the ongoing drama with his second wife, Chrishell Stause. "In a day when social media should be used for positivity… an inspiration towards movement in an honest and deserving way… I'd like to join, by highlighting my appreciation for my family," wrote the actress, who has a daughter, Isabella, with the "This Is Us" star, from whom she split in 2012 after eight years of marriage. "Today, I appreciate my ex-husband Justin for not only being [an] exemplification of a solid man, but for being my dear friend and [a] devoted father to our daughter. Simply put; for being family. We derive our own opinion of people by experiencing life and time together, and we do our best to hold dear the ones that maintain consistent kindness, love, and generosity. No matter what conflicts Justin and I had in the past, I appreciate what we have today and I am thankful for the family we have built."
On Aug. 10, Bachelor Nation's Vanessa Grimaldi — who got engaged to Nick Viall on season 21 of "The Bachelor" in 2017 — took to Instagram to announce that her boyfriend of around a year and a half, Josh Wolfe, proposed the previous day at Porte Saint-Louis in Quebec City. "August 9th, 2020 will forever be my favourite DAY OF MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!! @jbrwolfe YOU ARE MY EVERYTHING AND I CANNOT WAIT TO BE FOREVER AND EVER WITH YOU!!!!!! #engaged," she captioned a slideshow of photos depicting the proposal.
In other Bachelor Nation love news… During an Aug. 11 panel for Chat4Good, Colton Underwood described himself as "happily single" and said that he's focusing on himself. "My next relationship I'm already in — and that's with myself. I've decided that I want to spend my energy and focus on all my attention on myself, which I'm actually weirdly loving," said the former star of "The Bachelor." When he is ready to date again, he'd like to find "somebody who complements and fits into my life seamlessly," he said. "I think that's something that I'm going to be looking for, and I don't want to feel like it has to be forced or set up or feel like we have to compromise too much," he explained. "I think, while compromising is very important in a relationship, it's something that you can only take so much of." In the wake of his late-May breakup from Cassie Randolph, Colton stepped out with Lucy Hale, prompting reports that he'd already moved on from the blonde beauty.
On the Aug. 11 episode of "The Howard Stern Show," Joey King called her real-life breakup from "The Kissing Booth" co-star Jacob Elordi "a great thing." Said the former child star, "I think it's a good thing we dated in the first place. I learned from that." One of her biggest takeaways? She "couldn't" date another co-star. "I think that it's awesome to date somebody who's in your field who gets it, but doing the same exact thing as somebody is tough. It's really tough," she said. "You're not thinking, 'I'm competing with this person.' Ever. What you're thinking is, 'I hope that this success that either of us is having … I hope that this opportunity that I'm getting is not hurting your feelings.' … I've dated a few actors before — I've never viewed my relationship with them as like, 'Oh, I'm not happy for them — I only want success.' But I was worried — and I'm sure they were as well — like, 'Oh, will they be happy for me?' And you're creating a problem that's not even there." Meanwhile, during an interview for the September 2020 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine, which debuted online on Aug. 11, Joey admitted that working with her ex again on "The Kissing Booth 2" was tough: "No one's thinking to themselves, 'That was easy,' because it wasn't. I'm sure people will analyze every movement and every detail. And you know what? Let them. But at the end of the day, I was just thrilled to be Elle Evans again. … Elle Evans needs her Noah Flynn, and whatever that means for my personal life, I'll do anything to make sure the story of my character who I care about so much is complete."
As for the other "The Kissing Both 2" co-star to whom Joey King has been linked… On the Aug. 10 episode of the "Chicks in the Office" podcast, Taylor Zakhar Perez said that although he and his co-star "love each other dearly," they're just friends. "It's been interesting how everyone has been trying to make something out of it, but it's fine. I mean, hey, I would love to be dating Joey King — she's dope," he said. "I'm a huge fan of dating your friend — someone that you know and you trust because that's where it all starts, right? For me, non-sexual intimacy is so much more important to me at first. I'm all about the sensitive stuff. … I'm all about the ROI — what's the return on investment? If I'm investing this much time into someone I'm gonna be dating, I'm gonna make sure this is more than a three-month thing. I'm more into long-term goal-wise when it comes to work and relationships and everything. … Life's short and you want to make sure you are spending it with the best people. I'm so much more turned on by emotional intimacy than sexual intimacy at first. I love that."
During an interview with News Corp Australia that popped up online on Aug. 8, Orlando Bloom described his relationship with Katy Perry as "not by any means the kind of Hollywood love story you might want to hear about." Said the actor of his off-and-on romance with his now-fiancée, "I wish I could tell you that it was all joyful and happy. But like anything in life that's real, it's taken its own course. It's gone on its own roller coaster of ups and downs."
On the Aug. 7 episode of "Live with Kelly and Ryan," Common gushed about his recently confirmed romance with Tiffany Haddish: "She's a wonderful woman — a queen — and just a beautiful person," he said. "I just care for her a lot, enjoy her, and I am grateful to have her in my life. So, yeah, I'm happy."
During an interview for the September 2020 issue of ELLE, which debuted online on Aug. 11, Cardi B acknowledged that there's "a lot of drama" surrounding her relationship with her husband, Offset. "But there's a lot of love, there's a lot of passion, there's a lot of trust, there's a big friendship. It's always us against the world," she said, adding that "there's always rumors" about herself and the Migos rapper. "I feel like people would rather start rumors because they want me to be heartbroken. They want me to be hurt," she said.
Us Weekly reported on Aug. 7 that, according to a source, singer Nicole Scherzinger and her boyfriend of nearly a year, Scottish former pro rugby player Thom Evans, "got very serious very quickly." Said the source, "They are infatuated with each other and complement one another well. They're super cute and have a blast together. Nicole feels very lucky to have found Thom."
Angela Simmons took to Instagram on Aug. 8 to reveal her romance with boxing champ Daniel Jacobs. "TKO," the "Growing Up Hip Hop" star captioned a slideshow of photos of herself and her new beau en route to a wedding. "Wedding vibes tonight with her," Daniel captioned his own shot with the reality star.
UFC champ Conor McGregor took to Instagram on Aug. 8 to announce that he and his girlfriend of more than a decade, Dee Devlin, are engaged. "What a birthday, my future wife!" he captioned a selfie with the mother of two showing off her massive new engagement bling, referencing her Aug. 9 birthday in the caption.
Sarah Hyland and her fiancé, Bachelor Nation's Wells Adams, took to Instagram on Aug. 8 to mark what would've been their wedding day if they hadn't been forced to push their plans to tie the knot amid the coronavirus pandemic. "A couple, a pandemic, & a postponed wedding: A series. We were supposed to get married today. Instead… we took pictures and drank wine. I love you to Pluto & back," the "Modern Family" actress captioned a slideshow of photos of herself and her beau goofing off in a vineyard. "We were supposed to get married today. We didn't," Wells captioned another silly shot. He also posted a mirror selfie with his bride-to-be wearing a white dress and a veil. "Fake wedding. Real cute," he wrote in the caption.
In an essay for the September 2020 issue of British Vogue that debuted online on Aug. 6, Gwyneth Paltrow opened up about realizing her marriage to Chris Martin was over during her 38th birthday vacation in the Tuscan countryside in 2010. "I tried to convince myself it had been a fleeting thought, that marriage is complicated and ebbed and flowed. But I knew it. It was in my bones," she recalled, describing the realization as "almost involuntary" and adding that it would be several more years before they ultimately parted ways. "My ex and I had always been friends," she wrote before listing several qualities and interests they shared. "We were close, though we had never fully settled into being a couple. We just didn't quite fit together. There was always a bit of unease and unrest." She went on to say that they "tried everything" to make their relationship work because they "did not want to fail" or "lose our family." Recalled the Goop founder, "But one day, despite all our efforts, I found that I was not at a fork in the road. I was well down a path. Almost without realizing it, we had diverged. We'd never find ourselves together in that way again." She then detailed how they decided to "consciously uncouple" after being introduced to the concept by their therapist. "Could my ex continue to be a family member, someone who would continue to protect me, want the best for me? Could I be that for him?" she remembered thinking. "Was there a world where we could break up and not lose everything? Could we be a family, even though we were not a couple? We decided to try." Gwyneth described the first year of their new normal as "hit and miss" and "probably the most challenging year" of her life with "great days and terrible days … "days when we couldn't stand each other but forced ourselves to remember what we were aiming for." The Oscar-winning actress — who said she "felt ruled by fear" during that time — reflected on what "consciously uncoupling" means to her: "It meant, more than anything, being accountable for my own part in the dissolution of the relationship," she said. "There existed aspects of myself I was trying to heal through this relationship that I wasn't honest with myself about. I had been blind, guarded, invulnerable, intolerant. I had to admit that and be brave enough to share it." She concluded by saying she now knows she was meant to have children with Chris, while her second husband, Brad Falchuk, "is meant to be the person I grow very old with." Added the mother of two, "Conscious uncoupling lets us recognize those two different loves can coexist and nourish each other."
On the Aug. 5 episode of Robbie Williams and wife Ayda Field's "(Staying) At Home With The Williamses" podcast, the longtime couple revealed that it was Cameron Diaz who inspired the English singer-songwriter to reconcile with the actress during one of several breaks in their relationship. (He "unceremoniously" dumped her three times in the first year and a half of their relationship.) During a chat with the "Charlie's Angels" alum at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood, he "started to espouse about this brilliant person that I had just ended a relationship with, and there were all of these explaining words coming out of my mouth about how incredible you were — how beautiful, smart, funny," recalled Robbie. "Cameron Diaz said, 'It doesn't sound like that one's over,' and in that moment … the universe went, 'Go to Ayda, be with her, marry her.'" On the podcast, Robbie and Ayda — who celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary on Aug. 7 (see her Instagram tribute to him here) — also detailed their disastrous first date: After being set up by friends, they initially failed to connect but ended up hitting it off when they went to a party, where Robbie, who was dealing with alcohol and substance abuse issues at the time, got completely wasted. (He'd also hooked up with his dealer earlier in the evening.) After she nursed him back to health, they took off like wildfire, but the chart-topper's personal issues prompted him to break Ayda's heart several times before he finally committed to her. It wasn't until three years into their marriage that he even thought he could really be married, he said.
January Jones took to her Instagram Story on Aug. 6 to attempt to shoot her shot with Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard. "Future boyfriend??" she wrote over a clip of the professional basketball player after his team bested the Dallas Mavericks. In another post, she invited Kawhi to give her a call. There's just one problem: The NBA star has a long-term girlfriend.
