Fans love seeing their favorite actors on and off the big screen, but it’s a sad day when a famous couple with such a promising future decides to call it quits. Often volatile just like their on-screen personas, the rumors that circulate about the relationships and their endings usually involve all sorts of hyperbole and exaggeration. Although the stars themselves sometimes come out with statements of their own on the status of a relationship, a lot of what fans get to hear is from “unnamed sources” and “close friends” that talk to the media.
The following 10 couples once delighted fans with their relationships but eventually parted ways, much to the media’s delight and the disappointment of fans. None of them are married, so if we have our way these couples will once again stand together on Hollywood’s red carpets.
10. Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens
Dated from 2006 – 2010 (4 years)
After they met on the set of Disney’s “High School Musical,” Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens dated for four years. Unfortunately, the spark didn’t last between these two sweethearts and they decided to part ways late in 2010. Reports suggest that the split was amicable.
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9. Adam Brody and Rachel Bilson
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Dated from 2003 – 2006 (3 years)
Like many celebrity couples, Adam Brody and Rachel Bilson met on the set of a television show. Playing a couple on “The O.C.,” the real life friends dated for three years before rumors of a split started plaguing the couple and they soon made that official announcement in late 2010.
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8. Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas
Dated in 2010 (a few months)
Beautiful couple Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas didn’t last too long, and after dating for just a few months in 2010, they decided to part ways. Gossip at the time suggested that they actually broke up over the phone, but the former couple dispelled those rumors quickly.
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7. Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins
Dated from 1988 – 2009 (21 years)
In a relationship for over two decades, it was a big surprise when Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins decided to split after so many years of dating. The couple met when they were filming “Bull Durham” together and had 2 sons over the course of their relationship. Since the breakup, Susan has been linked romantically to a man 30 years her junior.
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6. Sophia Bush and Austin Nichols
Dated from 2006 – 2012 (6 years)
Together for about six years, Sophia Bush and Austin Nichols starred on “One Tree Hill” together and although Sophia was romantically linked to at least 2 other costars during the show’s run, it was Nichols with whom she stayed in a relationship.
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5. Britney Spears and Jason Trawick
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Dated from 2010 – 2013 (3 years)
They were once engaged to be married, but early in 2013 Britney Spears and her fiancé Jason Trawick announced that they were splitting up. Friends of Spears said that she was extremely upset about calling off the engagement and that they decided to part ways because Jason didn’t want to have kids.
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4. Julianne Hough and Ryan Seacrest
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Dated from 2010 – 2013 (3 years)
Although they were about 15 years apart in age, this gap didn’t bother Julianne Hough and Ryan Seacrest during the 3 years that they dated. Some media reports suggested that Hough’s wild ways might have been the reason for their breakup.
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3. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson
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Dated from 2010 – 2013 (3 years)
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart met on the set of “Twilight” and fans adored their real-life romance that seemed to jump off the movie screen. Unfortunately, the couple’s relationship didn’t last after Stewart admitted that she cheated on Pattinson with movie director Rupert Sanders.
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2. Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev
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Dated from 2010 – 2013 (3 years)
Rumors suggest that 34-year-old Ian Somerhalder and 24-year-old Nina Dobrev broke up in 2013 because Ian was ready to settle down and Nina wasn’t through living the wild life of a 20-something. Friends of the former couple suggest that they parted amicably and will remain friends.
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1. Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams
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Dated from 2005 – 2007 (2 years) and in 2008
After starring together in 2004 in “The Notebook,” gorgeous actors Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams dated for two years and even reconciled for a short time in 2008. They remained very close friends after parting ways the first time, and have even relied upon one another for romance advice in recent years.