Julianne Hough Posts Cryptic Quote About Growing Apart from People You Love
Is Julianne Hough trying to tell us something?
Hough shared a cryptic quote about loving someone as they grow on her Instagram Stories amid what sources have told PEOPLE is a rough patch in her relationship with husband Brooks Laich.
“To love someone long-term is to attend a thousand funerals of the people they used to be,” the quote by psychology writer Heidi Priebe reads. “The people they’re too exhausted to be any longer. The people they don’t recognise inside themselves anymore. The people they grew out of, the people they never ended up growing into. We so badly want the people we love to get their spark back when it burns out; to become speedily found when they are lost.”
“But it is not our job to hold anyone accountable to the people they used to be,” the quote continues. “It is our job to travel with them between each version and to honour what emerges along the way. Sometimes it will be an even more luminescent flame. Sometimes it will be a flicker that disappears and temporarily floods the room with a perfect and necessary darkness.”
Laich has also been posting cryptic messages on social media.
“Lately I’ve been re-assessing many things in my life, and one of the most important things I’ve been looking at is how I spend my time every day,” he captioned a post last week. “I’m redefining my priorities, and putting happiness at the forefront. I’m making changes to my daily routine, and prioritizing the things that bring me the most joy. Everything else lines up behind those.”
RELATED: Brooks Laich Is ‘Still Hoping Things Will Work Out’ with Julianne Hough, Source Says
A source recently told PEOPLE Hough and Laich have been having “problems for months.”
“She’s very independent and a free spirit, and that’s been tough for Brooks and their marriage,” the source said.
On New Year’s Eve, fans began speculating about a split after noticing that Hough, 31, wasn’t wearing her ring while co-hosting the NBC show. She also posted a video of herself ringless on Christmas Eve.
“Maybe it’s just a phase, maybe not,” another insider said of the troubles. “But either way they are not going to address it publicly right now.”
A second insider said that the two “are not giving up, but also not talking about [their issues publicly].”
“They want to do this their way,” the second insider added. “They don’t want to discuss their marriage. They have been having problems, but many people do.”
RELATED: Julianne Hough ‘Loves’ Brooks Laich but ‘Is a Completely Different Person Now,’ Source Says
Neither has publicly addressed any marital trouble, and their reps have not commented. Soon after rumors of a split spread, the two reunited at the airport, where Hough was seen hopping out of her Tesla to greet Laich, 36. (Laich wore his ring, while Hough was seen without it.)
“If it was up to Brooks, he would stay married,” another source told PEOPLE. “And he is obviously still hoping things will work out with Jules.”
RELATED: Julianne Hough Reveals She’s ‘Not Straight’
While Hough “already has her own life that she seems happy with,” Laich “keeps holding on,” according to the source.
Hough, 31, and Laich, 36, wed in July 2017. Last year, both were open about trying to get pregnant via in vitro fertilization, and both have discussed exploring their sexuality.
