IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Hollywood celebrity breakups during Venus retrograde

Hollywood has seen quite a number of breakups among big celebrities for the past three weeks, and some may have laid the blame to one culprit: the Venus retrograde. 

During this astrological phenomenon, the planet of beauty, love and pleasure appears to be moving backwards in its orbit from Earth’s point of view. Such occurrence, as astrologers say, correlates with events on Earth, specifically those that have something to do with romantic relationships. 

This year’s Venus retrograde also falls in the fire sign of Leo—a “flashy, very public, outward sign” as described by astrologer Astrologer Jake Register—which would apparently result to more drama compared to previous retrogrades. 

Although the retrograde started on July 22—and will run through Sept. 3—its effects were said to have begun on June 19 when Venus entered its  “pre-shadow phase.”

But while this astrological phenom can’t be totally blamed for the breakup of some of the high-profile romance that we know of, we’ve listed a number of celebrity romances going kaput during this period.

Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello

Colombian-American actress Sofia Vergara and American actor Joe Manganiello announced on July 17 that they have decided to divorce after seven years of marriage. 

“We have made the difficult decision to divorce. As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect for our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives,” the former couple said in a joint statement to Page Six.

An insider also disclosed that the pair had “grown apart” and that they were already “taking some distance from each other to contemplate their future” prior to their breakup announcement.

Vergara and Manganiello, who tied the knot in a luxurious wedding in California in 2015, had been hounded with breakup speculations after the “Modern Family” actress was spotted celebrating her 51st birthday in Italy in early July without her wedding ring and husband. 

Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez

American singer-actress Ariana Grande and real estate mogul Dalton Gomez’s split was confirmed to TMZ by sources “connected to the couple” last July 17, saying that the pair’s marriage “is heading for divorce.” The confirmation came a day after the “Into You” singer was spotted not wearing her wedding ring at Wimbledon. 

Grande and Gomez reportedly started dating in January 2020, then got married in May 2021 after about five months of being engaged.

Not long after, sources claimed that Grande has been separated from Gomez since January and that she has been dating her “Wicked” co-star Ethan Slater. This caused some to raise eyebrows as Slater is still married to his wife Lilly Jay, with whom he shares a one-year-old son. 

Both Grande and Slater have yet to publicly speak up on the matter, as of this writing. 

Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied

Israeli-born American actress Natalie Portman and French dancer Benjamin Millepied, who have been married for 11 years, have reportedly separated following the latter’s rumored affair with climate change activist Camille Étienne in June.

“After news of his affair came out, they’ve been trying to work on their marriage but are currently on the outs,” a source told Us Weekly in a statement last Aug. 7.

Sources added that Portman, who was “humiliated” by the rumors, was initially “willing to see if she’s capable of rebuilding her trust” in her husband for their children to not “grow up in a broken home.” 

The former couple got married in 2012. They have two children together, namely Aleph and Amali. 

Tina Knowles and Richard Lawson

Tina Knowles, mom of musicians Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, filed for divorce from her husband of eight years, American actor Richard Lawson, last July 26. Tina reportedly cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split.

Tina has reportedly asked the court to terminate the court’s ability to award spousal support to her or Lawson, and for her name to be restored to Celestine Knowles.

Tina wed Lawson in California in 2015 after dating for two years. This was Tina’s second marriage, following her marriage to Beyoncé and Solange’s dad Mathew Knowles. 

Prior to his marriage with Tina, Lawson was married to actress Denise Gordy for 11 years.

Bella Hadid and Marc Kalman

American model Bella Hadid and art director Marc Kalman’s split was confirmed to the public last July 19. 

“They were very in love, but the relationship ultimately ran its course and they decided to end things,” an insider told Entertainment Tonight in a statement.

While the reason behind the breakup was not immediately made public, the source noted that “Bella is a very nice person, but struggles with the pressures of fame.”

Hadid and Kalman have reportedly been dating since 2020, although they only confirmed their relationship in July 2021.

Bebe Rexha and Keyan Safyari

After weeks of speculations, American singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha confirmed her breakup with her boyfriend of three years, producer-director Keyan Safyari. 

Rexha was speculated to have called it quits with Safyari after she shared a text message apparently from the latter, wherein he pointed out the singer’s weight gain and the “changes” on her face.

Rexha then revealed during her July 28 London concert that she indeed “went through a breakup,” and asked fans to “help” her as she “might get a little emotional.” EDV

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