7 Celeb Couples Who Crashed And Burned After Rekindling Vs. 7 Who Found Happily Ever After The Second Time

Sometimes, “right person, wrong time” is very much a thing, and rekindling a relationship works out perfectly. Other times, you’re quickly reminded of why you ended things in the first place — no matter how much time has passed.

Here’s a roundup of times famous couples have gotten back together after breaking up, plus whether or not things worked out the second time around:

1. Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom: SPLIT

Katy and Orlando’s split made headlines earlier this year, but what people might have forgotten is that they actually broke up for a year back in 2017.

Recalling the breakup in 2024, Katy said that she temporarily ended things with Orlando after a year of dating because the pair weren’t fully aligned. “He was [in it] because he had just done a huge time of celibacy, and he had set intentions,” she said. “And I was fresh out of a relationship, and I was like, I can’t do this anymore. I need to swim in a different pond, but I had yet to do a lot of like, real work.”

“He wasn’t playing this cat-mouse game anymore. And I was like, ‘This is boring. I’m moving on,’” she added. “I was so used to this push-pull. Because once you have it. I was playing games. It was a dopamine hit.”

By 2018, Katy and Orlando had reunited — and it seemed that things had only strengthened between them. They got engaged in 2019 and welcomed their daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom, in 2020. However, as we now know, Orlando and Katy sadly parted ways earlier this year. A source claimed that they’d been “suffering through the same problems that have plagued them for years,” and struggled to make “time for each other and iron out disagreements.”

2. Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber: STILL TOGETHER

Justin and Hailey were friends long before they were ever romantically involved. In December 2015, she notably joined the singer and his family on vacation in Mexico. That same month, the pair were pictured kissing at Leonardo DiCaprio’s New Year’s Eve party.

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But the following year, the couple split up. “Negative things happened that we still need to talk about and work through,” Hailey later told Vogue, adding, “‘Fizzled’ would not be the right word — it was more like a very dramatic excommunication. There was a period where if I walked into a room, he would walk out.”

Following Justin’s reunion with his long-term, on-again, off-again ex, Selena Gomez — which lasted between October 2017 and March 2018 — he and Hailey had rekindled things. She later recalled reuniting with Justin at church, telling Vogue: “By then, we were past the drama. I just gave him a hug. By the end of the conference, he was like, ‘We’re not going to be friends.’ I was like, ‘We’re not?’”

Just a month after rekindling their romance, Justin and Hailey were engaged. And two months later, they were married!

While the pair have certainly had their ups and downs in recent years, they remain married and are now parents to a little boy named Jack Blues Bieber.

3. Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth: SPLIT

Way back in 2010, Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth first started dating after meeting on the set of The Last Song. They broke up and got back together many times over the years, but most notably, they got engaged for the first time in 2012, and called it off the following year.

In 2016, the pair rekindled things and got engaged again, with Miley later detailing having to “refall” for Liam. At the end of 2018, the pair officially tied the knot!

But sadly, the marriage was short-lived, with Miley and Liam separating after less than a year. Miley ended up explaining that she and Liam had partly rekindled “from a place of trauma” and were “trying to rebuild” as quickly as they could.

4. Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade: STILL TOGETHER

Roughly three years into their relationship, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade split in 2013. Gabrielle recalled the following year, “When Dwyane and I broke up briefly in 2013, it was because of distance and scheduling. I finished filming [Being Mary Jane], then I flew to Vegas right away to start shooting Think Like a Man Too. I couldn’t take time off, and I missed some quality togetherness we desperately needed … Moving forward, I decided my work schedule has to make sense for our family.”

By the end of 2013, however, Dwayne and Gabrielle had rekindled things and gotten engaged. Around the same time, news broke that Dwyane fathered a child with another woman during their brief split — something that Gabrielle said left her completely “devastated.” Regardless, the couple remained together and got married in 2014. They welcomed their first child together via surrogate in 2018, and Gabrielle is also stepmom to Dwyane’s three other kids and nephew.

5. Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson: SPLIT

Khloé and Tristan spent years dating on-and-off, but perhaps their most viral breakup came after he kissed Jordyn Woods — who, at the time, was best friends with Khloé’s sister Kylie Jenner — at a house party.

Khloé memorably lashed out at Jordyn after she gave a public interview about the incident — and, as expected, she and Tristan parted ways.

However, roughly a year later, news broke that Khloé and Tristan were giving their relationship another try.

Early in 2021, Khloé and Tristan secretly got engaged (though the public didn’t find out until later). But by the end of the year, they officially split for good after news broke that Tristan had quietly fathered a child with another woman while he and Khloé were preparing to welcome their second child via surrogate.

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6. Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel: STILL TOGETHER

Four years after they started dating in 2007, Justin and Jessica announced that they’d parted ways. At the time, people speculated that the breakup had something to do with Justin’s Friends With Benefits costar Mila Kunis, though an insider quickly denied this, stating, “No one came between them. They decided their relationship ran its course and it was time to move on.”

However, the split was short-lived, with Justin and Jessica reuniting and getting engaged towards the end of 2011. By 2012, they were married, and by 2015, they’d welcomed their first child. (They welcomed their second in 2021.)

Notably, in 2019, Justin apologized publicly to Jessica after he was spotted holding hands with his Palmer costar Alisha Wainwright. “A few weeks ago I displayed a strong lapse in judgment — but let me be clear — nothing happened between me and my costar. I drank way too much that night and I regret my behavior. I should have known better,” he wrote on Instagram.

“This is not the example I want to set for my son…I apologize to my amazing wife and family for putting them through such an embarrassing situation, and I am focused on being the best husband and father I can be,” he said.

7. Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik: SPLIT

Gigi and Zayn went public with their relationship in 2016, and two years later, they announced in separate statements that they’d parted ways. Zayn wrote, “Gigi and I had an incredibly meaningful, loving and fun relationship and I have a huge amount of respect and adoration for Gigi as a woman and a friend. She has such an incredible soul. I’m grateful to all of our fans for respecting this difficult decision and our privacy at this time.”

Meanwhile, Gigi said, “Breakup statements often seem impersonal because there is really no way to put into words what two people experience together over a few years…I’m forever grateful for the love, time and life lessons that Z and I shared. I want nothing but the best for him and will continue to support him as a friend that I have immense respect and love for.”

“As for the future, whatever’s meant to be will be,” she added.

Literally a month later, it seemed like the pair were back on after they were spotted kissing in New York. While they both kept quiet about the status of their relationship, Zayn did state, “We don’t need to put a label on it, make it something for people’s expectations.”

After another apparent breakup and reconciliation, things between Gigi and Zayn seemed super strong throughout 2020, when they welcomed their daughter, Khai. And all seemed smooth sailing until October 2021, when Zayn was accused of “striking” Gigi’s mom, Yolanda Hadid, during an argument. He vehemently denied the claim, stating, “I adamantly deny striking Yolanda Hadid, and for the sake of my daughter, I decline to give any further details, and I hope that Yolanda will reconsider her false allegations and move towards healing these family issues in private.” Zayn pleaded no contest to the charges, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, he and Gigi split once more.

8. Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell: STILL TOGETHER

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When Dax and Kristen started dating back in 2007, he broke up with her — for just four days. She later recalled, “We were dating for about three months, and I already knew that I was in love with him, and he was hesitant because he knew he was still dating other people. He sat me down and said, ‘I can’t have this right now. I think you’re wonderful, but I am still dating other people.’ And then I, like, liquefied and fell to the ground.”

She continued, “He called me and he was like, ‘I don’t know what I was thinking. I was dating someone else, but they’re just not as interesting as you, and I don’t know what I’m doing.’”

Lo and behold, the pair were back on, and three years later, they were engaged. They tied the knot in 2013 and are parents to two young daughters.

9. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck: SPLIT

Arguably the most memorable celebrity reconciliation in recent years was Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s. Of course, the pair dated back in 2002, after starring together in Gigli, and they even got engaged. However, they ended up postponing their wedding due to “excessive media attention” and later went their separate ways.

But fast forward 17 years, and Bennifer was back on. The couple rekindled things and swiftly got engaged again — only this time, they did make it to the altar, tying the knot in Vegas in 2022. “We did it. Love is beautiful. Love is kind. And it turns out love is patient. Twenty years patient,” Jen shared at the time. Months later, the pair had a traditional wedding ceremony in Georgia in 2022.

However, things between the pair sadly didn’t work out, and after two years of marriage, Ben and J.Lo were no more. Interestingly, Jen filed for divorce on the exact two-year anniversary of her and Ben’s Georgia wedding, and the news came after months of speculation that they were on the rocks.

10. Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo: STILL TOGETHER

Long before all the drama surrounding that alleged cheating scandal, Adam and Behati actually split up temporarily towards the start of their relationship. The couple were first linked in 2012, and stepped out at a public event together that same year. However, in May 2013, news broke that they’d gone their separate ways, with a source telling People that Adam was casually dating model Nina Agdal.

But just months later, in July, Adam and Behati had rekindled things — and even gotten engaged! A year later, they tied the knot, and they’ve since welcomed three children together.

In 2022, Adam memorably came under fire after Instagram model Sumner Stroh claimed she’d had an affair with the Maroon 5 singer. She also shared screenshots of texts that he’d allegedly sent her, and more women later claimed that Adam had sent them flirty messages, too.

Adam denied the affair with Sumner, though he said, “I used poor judgement in speaking with anyone other than my wife in ANY kind of flirtatious manner.”

11. Cardi B and Offset: SPLIT

Cardi and Offset’s on-again, off-again relationship was repeatedly dogged by infidelity rumors over the years. While the pair tied the knot in 2017 and have since welcomed three kids, they split and rekindled multiple times. In 2020, Cardi filed for divorce, although she later called it off.

But last year, Cardi filed to end the marriage again. Her representative explained at the time, “It’s not based on cheating rumors, but rather has been a long time coming…It’s not just one issue. She’s matured a lot. She knows exactly what she wants her life to look like. She’s super focused on her kids and work.”

12. Nelly and Ashanti: STILL TOGETHER

Nelly and Ashanti dated back in the 2000s. While they famously kept things pretty quiet when it came to their relationship, the chemistry between the pair was palpable over the years — need I mention the “Body On Me” music video?

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The pair reportedly parted ways in 2013, with Ashanti stating two years later, “I think sometimes when people have their own insecurities, it allows them to act out of character. I’ve been betrayed. You just have to grow. You have to grow up. You have to accept responsibility for the things that you do. I’m not a big fan of people being cowards.”

Fast forward to 2021, and fans went wild over Nelly and Ashanti reuniting on the Verzuz stage to perform with Ja Rule and Fat Joe. Ashanti shared afterwards that she actually had no idea Nelly would be there, recalling, “I haven’t seen him or spoken to him since we broke up. Six years or something? So, I didn’t know what to expect…I seen his eyes get big and I didn’t know what was gonna happen. I didn’t know what to expect. It was positive.”

The following year, the pair reunited on stage again — this time to perform “Body On Me.” And boy, was the chemistry evident!

They officially rekindled their relationship in September of the following year, and by December, they had quietly gotten married. Months later, Ashanti revealed that she was pregnant, and the pair have since welcomed their baby boy, Kareem Kenkaide Hayes.

13. Blac Chyna and Rob Kardashian: SPLIT… but possibly currently rekindling?

Chyna — who now goes by her birth name, Angela White — and Rob Kardashian were first linked in 2016, and got engaged and pregnant within a year. They ended up splitting publicly in 2017, with news later breaking that they’d gotten into a physical altercation at the end of 2016.

Amid the breakup, Rob leaked explicit nude photos of Angela while accusing her of infidelity — and she was granted a restraining order against him.

A whole load more drama went down between the pair in recent years, including Angela literally filing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Rob’s family.

Interestingly, Angela and Rob recently hinted at a romantic reunion. Last week, she wrote on Instagram, “This love is forever ♾️ @robkardashianofficial,” before later describing him as her “person” and stating that they’re “healing” and “going with the flow.” Nothing is confirmed yet, but watch this space!

14. And finally, Nick Lachey and Vanessa Lachey: STILL TOGETHER

Nick and Vanessa Lachey were first linked back in 2006, and remained together for roughly three years before parting ways in the summer of 2009. At the time, a source told People, “They have amicably split but remain good friends who still greatly care for one another.”

But just a few months later, in October, Nick and Vanessa were back together. “I was single for a minute there, and then we’ve kind of patched things up,” Nick said, before proposing to Vanessa roughly a year later. They tied the knot in 2011.

In 2022, the couple began hosting Netflix’s reality series The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On — and Vanessa revealed that she’d actually issued Nick an ultimatum after five years of dating. “We dated for five years. So I finally said, ‘What are we doing?’ … I have now moved in with him, I renovated his entire bachelor pad, there was a bar in the pool. I’m like, ‘Whatever you want!’ Now I’m like, ‘OK, well, I want to put kids in the pool.’”

And speaking of their brief split, Vanessa recalled, “We both saw one other person and we realized that if we got out of our own way, we could be amazing together. But it took seeing somebody else for me to realize I don’t mind the things that I thought bugged me or were holding me back. I don’t mind all that.”

If you can think of any other notable examples, feel free to share in the comments!

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