IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Short-lived romances in the entertainment scene
Short-lived romances: Taylor Swift. Matty Heally, Han So-hee and Ryu Jun-yeol. Image: Instagram/@taylorswift, @the1975, @xeesoxee, @ryusdb
Han So-hee and Ryu Jun-yeol surprised netizens when they confirmed their relationship last March 16, but the public was in for another surprise after the pair announced their breakup just two weeks later.
Quite a whirlwind romance had indeed happened to the former couple who had started dating earlier this year.
While it was disclosed that Han So-hee and Ryu Jun-yeol’s split was decided after they realized that “their roles as actors are greater,” the criticisms they met—specifically accusations of their relationship overlapping with the actor’s girlfriend of eight years, Hyeri—were conceivably another contributing factor.
Such a short-lived romance, meanwhile, is not something the public hasn’t seen in show business. As it happens, a few other pairs made recent headlines for dating then parting ways after less than six months.
Jisoo and Ahn Bo-hyun
(From left) Jisoo, Ahn Bo-hyun. Images: Instagram/@sooyaaa__, Instagram/@bohyunahn
Blackpink’s Jisoo and Korean actor Ahn Bo-hyun sparked dating rumors after Korean media outlet Dispatch shared photos on August 3, showing the pair meeting up at the singer-actress’ home.
Their respective talent agencies, YG Entertainment and FN Entertainment, then confirmed that the Korean celebrities are in a relationship and had indeed been “getting to know each other with positive feelings.”
Unfortunately, over two months later, it was announced that Jisoo and Ahn had “drifted apart due to busy schedules” and had decided to part ways.
Taylor Swift and Matty Healy
Taylor Swift and Matty Healy. Image: Instagram/@taylorswift, @the1975
Taylor Swift and The 1975’s Matty Healy’s dating speculations made rounds on social media in May 2023 after multiple sources claimed that the musicians were “madly in love” with each other.
“She and Matty are madly in love. It’s super-early days, but it feels right,” the insider was quoted as saying. “They first dated, very briefly, almost ten years ago but timings just didn’t work out.”
The insider added that there was “absolutely no crossover” as Swift and her longtime boyfriend at the time, British actor Joe Alwyn, had already called it quits in February of the same year.
Days after, Healy was seen at the VIP tent Swift’s “The Eras Tour” concert in Nashville, Tennessee. The musicians were also photographed enjoying dinner in New York with friend and collaborator Jack Antonoff.
Swift and Healy, who never publicly confirmed or denied their relationship, reportedly broke up in June due to their differences and busy schedules.
“Taylor and Matty broke up. They are both extremely busy and realized they’re not really compatible with each other,” the source was quoted as saying.
“Taylor’s friends want what’s best for her and aren’t shocked that their relationship fizzled out since she recently got out of a long-term relationship,” the source added.
Taylor Swift and Joe Jonas
Joe Jonas, Taylor Swift. Images from Jonas’ Instagram, AP
On the subject of Swift, who could forget her short-lived relationship with Joe Jonas? The two were together only July 2008, in a romance that rode on the back of love songs they wrote for one another.
The “Mr. Perfectly Fine” singer was then joining the Jonas Brothers’ concerts, but just as soon, their romance fizzled out after only three months, or October of the same year. Swift, just 18 that year, however, was not about to let this die down that easily. In an Interview on Ellen Degeneres, she called out the “Forever and Always” singer for breaking up with her over the phone.
Things worked out fine for Swift since she is now happily in love with Kansas City’s tight end Kelce Travis, while she has touched base with Jonas’ ex-wife Sophie Turner.
Julia Roberts and Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry and Julia Roberts in “Friends” episode, The One After the Superbowl: Part 2 (1996). Image from IMDb
One famous short-lived romances ever that made entertainment news was that of Julia Roberts and the late Matthew Perry. But not only was their love story short-lived, it was apparently kept in secret, and was only revealed in Perry’s 2022 memoir, “Friend, Lovers, and The Big Terrible Thing.”
It turned out that when Roberts appeared on the episode of “Friends” in 1996 as Susie, an old classmate of Chandler (Perry’s character) with a grudge against him, the two actors were already dating. Perry had wooed her to appear on Friends, and she agreed, but only if her character would appear in his story line.
Three dozen roses and a lot of flirting over fax exchanges, the two would hit it off and date. However, Perry admitted he was the one to break things off with Roberts after just six months together, tormented by the thought that she would break up with him because he was “broken, bent, unlovable,” instead of facing the “inevitable agony of losing her.” Perry would reveal in his memoir his struggles with addiction to substances and mental health issues.
Tom Cruise and Elsina Khayrova
Tom Cruise and Elsina Khayrova. Image: Getty Images/Theo Wargo via AFP; Instagram/@elsina_k
Tom Cruise, 61, and Russian socialite Elsina Khayrova, 36, were first spotted in public together in December 2023, during a party in London’s Grosvenor Square.
“They’re very happy, and Tom’s extremely confident about it working out for the long term,” a source told US Weekly at the time.
However, the pair reportedly called it quits in February after they realized they “weren’t gelling and realized they weren’t romantically compatible.”
Insiders also claimed that another reason that prompted the breakup was Khayrova’s ex-husband, Russian oligarch Dmitry Tsvetkov, who made statements about the “Mission Impossible” star’ relationship with the Russian socialite.
Cruise or Khayvora did not immediately confirm or deny these speculations.
Kim Kardashian and Odell Beckham Jr.
Kim Kardashian and Odell Beckham Jr. Image: Instagram/@kimkardsashian, @obj
In September 2023, Kim Kardashian and American football player Odell Beckham Jr. were reported to be “hanging out” and had made a connection.
The pair was spotted anew in several instances together including Beckham’s 31st birthday in November, and a Super Bowl party in February.
“There wasn’t a ton of PDA like some of the other couples, but there was a lot of touching, and they were right near each other the entire time” an insider said of Beckham and the 43-year-old reality television star at the February event.
“They were careful about not being too all over each other, but there was lots of chemistry, and they left together,” the source added.
On March 24, British news outlet Daily Mail then cited sources that the pair ended their relationship after their public appearance together at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party on March 10.
