From Kate Middleton and Prince William to Rochelle and Marvin Humes, how splitting was the secret to these relationships going to the next level
YOU don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone — and for these famous couples, splitting was the jolt they needed to take their relationships next-level.
From royal lovebirds Kate Middleton and Prince William to newlyweds Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, we round-up the celebs who revived their romance.
Faye Brookes, 31, and Gareth Gates, 34
How they met: Gareth and Faye first made beautiful music together while touring Legally Blonde: The Musical in 2012. The former Pop Idol star was still married to Suzanne Mole, but was soon dating Faye and uploading videos of him rapping to her after her NTAs win for her role as Kate Connor on Corrie.
Called it quits: Last September, after nearly six years together, they took to social media to confirm they were “choosing to take some time apart”, but insisted they’d remain friends.
Reunited: GG proposed in January with a 17-minute love song. “We were crying the whole way through,” Faye said.
Their take: “I was always away with work and Faye’s schedule was getting busier, so we needed breathing space,” Gareth said.
Jessica Biel, 36, and Justin Timberlake, 38
How they met: Justin was bowled over by Jessica at the 2007 Golden Globes, got her number from a mutual friend and asked her out. In their early days of dating, Jess says she sent an email to her production partner, saying: “I will marry this man.” Punchy.
Called it quits: In 2011, amid cheating rumours, their reps released a statement confirming they’d split.
Reunited: Just two months later they got back together, and in December the “Trousersnake” proposed in Montana. They married in 2012 in Puglia, Italy, with Jess in a pink dress walking down the aisle to a song by Justin. In April 2015 they had their son Silas Randall and are now full of soppy Insta posts.
Their take: They were pretty tight-lipped about their split, but gushed about getting back together. Justin said: “Every once in a while I can catch a glimpse of her when she doesn’t see me looking and I have this moment where I’m like: ‘If you only make bad decisions for the rest of your life, you made one really good decision.’” Aww!
Miley Cyrus, 26, and Liam Hemsworth, 29
How they met: Miley met Aussie actor Liam filming 2010 romcom The Last Song. They began an on/off relationship and even got engaged in June 2012.
Called it quits: The pair called things off in 2013, with Miley going on to date Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son Patrick, while Liam was linked to January Jones.
Reunited: Having reunited in 2016, Miley and Liam made it official in a private wedding at home in Tennessee before Christmas last year. They then took Liam’s family to Montana for their, er, honeymoon.
Their take: “We were both super-young,” said Liam, while Miley said: “People break up and get back together. That’s awesome.”
Rochelle, 29, and Marvin Humes, 33
How they met: Celeb power couple Marvin and Roch were a match made in pop heaven when they started dating in February 2010. Four months on, the star moved in with Marv.
Called it quits: By November the couple had split, blaming work, although vowing to stay friends.
Reunited: They got back together two months later and Marv popped the question during a holiday to Antigua in December 2011. They married the following year at Blenheim Palace and have two daughters – Alaia-Mai, five, and Valentina Raine, who’s two next month.
Their take: “We realised we didn’t want to let go of what we had,” Rochelle said.
Kate Middleton, 37, and Prince William, 36
How they met: William and Kate were uni mates at St Andrews, but it wasn’t until her catwalk in that see-through dress in 2002 that William apparently whispered: “She’s hot!” to a friend. Their relationship was revealed when they were pictured skiing together in March 2004.
Called it quits: After uni, Kate got a job and Wills went to Sandhurst, but distance and media scrutiny saw them split in April 2007.
Reunited: They attended a charity boxing match together in 2008 and got engaged in 2010. They married the following year and have three royal kids – George, five, Charlotte, three, and Louis, 10 months.
Their take: “At the time I wasn’t very happy, but it made me a stronger person,” Kate said of their temporary break-up.
Pink, 39, and Carey Hart, 43
How they met: Pink and motorcross pro Carey met in 2001 at an extreme sports competition in Pennsylvania and convinced him to be in her video for Just Like A Pill. So began a volatile relationship that saw Pink propose in 2005, writing “Will U Marry Me? Serious!” on a sign during a race. They wed in Costa Rica in 2006.
Called it quits: In 2008 they split, blaming work. Pink wrote So What (“I guess I just lost my husband/I don’t know where he went”), but Carey starred in the video.
Reunited: Later that year, Pink wooed Carey back with a trip to Vegas. Daughter Willow Sage arrived in 2011 and they also have son Jameson Moon, two.
Their take: Pink said: “I’ll look at [Carey] and go: ‘I don’t ever wanna see you again.’ Then two weeks later I’m like: ‘Things are going so good.’ Monogamy is work!”
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Rose Leslie, 32, and Kit Harington, 32
How they met: Kit first met Rose filming the second season of Game Of Thrones in 2011. He’s since said they fell in love during their steamy sex scenes for season three in Iceland.
Called it quits: The King of the North and his wildling Ygritte ended things both on-screen and off in 2013 – in the show she died in his arms. Kit confirmed the break-up by telling interviewers he was single.
Reunited: By 2015 they were snapped cuddling at an airport, then went red-carpet official and in 2017 announced their engagement. In June 2018, they had their (non-red) wedding in Scotland.
Their take: “Your options are: sacrifice a lot of your career or find someone willing to be your travelling circus,” says Kit. Cute, though he still refuses to tell her how GoT finishes, apparently.