Celebrity Couples Went Public After They Called It Quits
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Despite the glaring lens of the public eye, some celebrities have managed to keep their relationships totally private until after the breakup!
When you’re a celebrity, it’s safe to say that at least some of your life, whether you like to or not, is public information. Whether it’s the brands you love, where you live, or who you’re dating, the public can’t help but be nosy about what their favorite celebrities are up to. And, knowing how hard it is for celebrities to keep anything private, from secret baby bumps to secret weddings, we totally applaud those who’ve managed to keep things under wraps — especially when it comes to their relationship.
As it turns out, though it doesn’t happen very often, some celebrity couples have totally managed to date without their flings, however long or short, becoming public knowledge. Many of these are only revealed years later after the two have not only broken up but totally moved on. Some examples, as you’ll see below, are Madonna and Tupac Shakur, which was only confirmed to the public in 2015, and Jenna Dewan and Justin Timberlake, a secret fling Dewan only admitted to years later in 2017.
So, to find out some celebrity couples that only revealed their romances after their breakup, scroll on!
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Rosalía & Hunter Schafer
In an April 2024 interview with GQ, Euphoria star Hunter Schafer confirmed that she was once “romantically involved” with her close friend Rosalía.
The actress confirmed that she secretly dated the Spanish singer for about five months in the fall and winter of 2019.
“Part of us just wants to get it over with, and then another part is like, ‘It’s none of anybody’s f—ing business!'” she told the publication, before clarifying: “it’s something I’m happy to share. And I think (Rosalía) feels that way too.”
Matthew Perry & Gwyneth Paltrow
In a tribute post after Matthew Perry’s tragic 2023 death, Gwyneth Paltrow revealed that she had a summer romance with the star back in 1993, shortly before Perry found fame on Friends.
“I met Matthew Perry in 1993 at the Williamstown Theater Festival in Massachusetts,” she wrote. “We drove out to swim in creeks, had beers in the local college bar, kissed in a field of long grass. It was a magical summer.”
Elliot Page & Kate Mara
Elliot Page revealed his secret fling with Kate Mara in his 2023 memoir, Pageboy. The duo had a brief romance while Page was filming 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, prior to him coming out as trans in 2020.
Page wrote that he “fell for” Mara while she was dating Max Minghella, who allegedly approved of the affair. The exes went on several dates before ending the fling, shortly before Mara and Minghella also broke off their relationship.
“I think the love and care that we have for each other is its very own special thing,” Page wrote of his continued friendship with Mara. “Separate from the intimacy that I write about.”
Johnny Galecki & Kaley Cuoco
In a case of art imitating life, Kaley Cuoco revealed that she secretly dated her The Big Bang Theory co-star Johnny Galecki for two whole years but kept it entirely private until after the breakup!
“It was such a huge part of my life and no one knew about it,” she told CBS in 2010, a year after splitting from Galecki who she started dating in 2007.
“It was a wonderful relationship but we never spoke a word about it and never went anywhere together. We were so protective of ourselves and the show and didn’t want anything to ruin that. … We knew how to keep it deep inside and never bring it on that set, ever.”
Nicole Kidman & Jimmy Fallon
In one of the most watched clips of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ever, Nicole Kidman admitted to going on a date with host Jimmy Fallon many years ago. The funniest part of the moment, however, is that not even Fallon knew about the date.
In their talk, which was all kinds of awkward, Kidman confessed to liking the then Saturday Night Live star and asking a mutual friend to set them up. She then went to Fallon’s house for a date, but Fallon had no idea she was interested. “I just remember I liked you,” she said, adding that Fallon went on to offer her some corn chips, saltine crackers, brie cheese, and leftover Chinese food. “Wait… what?” Fallon said in response. “Did I date Nicole Kidman?! Was that a date?!”
After Kidman confirmed it was, the two, who are both happily married, laughed it off. “We weren’t meant to be, right?” Kidman said. “I can’t believe I dated Nicole Kidman… this is unbelievable!”
Melissa Joan Hart & Will Friedle
Most recently, Melissa Joan Hart and Boy Meets World alum Will Friedle reminisced about their sweet teenage fling together. “I was with you for, like, your 14th birthday or 15th,” Friedle said in an episode of Pod Meets World. “Remember we went to some place where it [had] those big tanks you could drive or shoot the tennis balls at? We went out for that, and we were, like, making googly eyes at each other. And by the end of the night, we were ‘dating,’” he added.
“It was a whirlwind romance,” Hart added. Who knew?
Justin Timberlake & Jenna Dewan
For Justin Timberlake and Jenna Dewan, the buzz around his former relationship with Britney Spears was enough for them to be able to keep their fling a secret. In fact, Dewan only admitted to their early 2000s romance in 2017. “We dated, not that long,” Dewan said in an appearance in Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, per Entertainment Tonight. “We were like friends… that dated.”
And although Dewan and Timberlake clicked after the Spears breakup, Dewan wanted to make one thing clear: she wasn’t the rebound. “I was not the rebound!” she said. “I was very clear not to be [that].”
Madonna & Tupac Shakur
Although Madonna and Tupac Shakur were music royalty at the time, they managed to keep their two-year romance a secret from the public between 1993 and 1995. In fact, the “Material Girl” only confirmed their romance many years later in 2015 on The Howard Stern Show. “I was dating Tupac Shakur at the time, and the thing is he got me all riled up on life in general,” she said casually, per InStyle.
Tyra Banks & Drake
Back in 2013, Drake admitted in an appearance on The Ellen Show that he and supermodel Tyra Banks went on a date once. “I went on a date with her one time, yeah,” he told DeGeneres, per Daily Mail. “Just one date. We went to Disney Land in disguise actually, which was fun.”
According to the rapper, however, their romantic journey just transformed into friendship. “We’re close as well,” he added.
Josh Hutcherson & Vanessa Hudgens
While doing press for their movie Journey 2: The Mysterious Island in 2012, Josh Hutcherson and Vanessa Hudgens admitted they had a short-lived fling. “We’re not [dating],” Hutcherson told TODAY Australia. “We were at one point but she broke my heart… No, I’m just kidding,” Hutcherson said. “That was a while ago, we’re really good friends now.”
Drew Barrymore & Christian Bale
As it turns out, when they were both starting their careers, Drew Barrymore and Christian Bale went on a date. “We went to see some bloody awful horror film,” the actor told GQ Australia. “And that was the end of it,” he added, “She never called again.”
