When it comes to dating, athletes don’t exactly have the best reputations. Most of them have hectic schedules, and that isn’t necessarily a strong foundation on which to build a stable relationship. Thanks to who they’re dating and the prying eyes of the paparazzi and media, a lot of this gets aired out, and made public.
Nowadays, those in the celeb world seem to have their relationship statuses as well known as their projects. You can’t turn on the TV, flick through a gossip mag without hearing about some celebrity of other who have split up or whose relationship is on the rocks. Sure, the intense media scrutiny that often follows such couples doesn’t help. It’s hard to work out issues if everyone’s trying to stick their noses in, are gagging for a juicy bit of gossip.
These athlete-celebrity couples have given plenty to whet people’s appetites. But it’s probably not the type of gossip they’d have wanted to give. When they started out dating, they’d have wanted the only gossip to be dished out about their relationships to be that everything is sunshine and roses. Instead it’s about breakups, and reasons why. It’s sad for those involved, but it seems to be what people want to hear about. These are 8 athlete-celebrity couples who recently went their separate ways, and 7 whose relationships seem to be on the rocks.
15 Fell Apart: Olivia Munn & Aaron Rodgers
When Olivia Munn and Aaron Rodgers got together, it just worked. The vast majority of people thought they were in it for the long haul, that it’d work out and everything would be hunky dory. It was for a few years. But being in a committed relationship to a pro sportsman is hard. Athletes are known for being selfish – they have to be considering all the training, being on the road away from loved ones a lot of the time.
It got to a point where their relationship was going nowhere.
They hung on for months, but knew it was only going in one direction. For Olivia she found it hard, and that during her time with Aaron it was mostly football and not a lot of much else. Aaron has said that intense media scrutiny had a part to play, and put a strain on the relationship. The duo went their separate ways last year.
14 In Trouble: Wladimir Klitschko & Hayden Panettiere
Hayden Panettiere has been forced to defend rumors that she’s split from her long-time love, ex-boxing champ Wladimir Klitschko, several times. It’s little wonder the rumor mill’s continuously whirring on that matter. They did split up briefly but ended up rekindling their romance in 2013. Many thought that Hayden’s post-partum depression would cause issues between the two. They’ve also been pictured without their rings, causing plenty of rumors to start making the rounds. They’ve said in the past that Wladimir’s constant travelling made things difficult. Now that he’s retired, they seem to be getting on swimmingly but rumors have been swirling that there’s trouble in paradise. They’ve been engaged for quite a while now. Marriage doesn’t seem to be on the horizon. They may be holding off tying the knot until they sort out their issues. If they don’t, this could be the year they separate for good.
13 Fell Apart: Aly Raisman & Colton Underwood
Okay, so who’s the celebrity and who’s the athlete in this relationship? You’d have to say that both were both. Colton is a former athlete – well, he’s a free agent - but has remained in the limelight. In that way, he’s can be classified as a celeb and a former athlete. Colton’s a couple of years older than Raisman. He asked her out during a live Q&A session. They got together and it ended up being a whirlwind romance. However, it didn’t last and they split towards the end of 2017. Nothing untoward happened.
They actually split on good terms.
It’s just that distance was a major factor in their split. Because Colton at the time trained in Colorado and Aly was in Massachusetts, it just didn’t work out.
12 In Trouble: Dwyane Wade & Gabrielle Union
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union are one of the biggest athlete-celeb couples around. They began dating in 2009. It hasn’t all been plain sailing. In fact, they haven’t even been together for that length of time. They split up briefly due to career demands. While they’d split up, or were on a break, call it what you will, Dwyane got his long-time friend pregnant. Despite this, Dwyane and Gabrielle reconciled and eventually got married. Gabrielle still had trust issues and made her hubby sign a prenup. After the marriage, the couple have had to bat off various allegations. The latest news to rock the couple is Gabrielle was associated with Tristan Thompson. As E Online has reported, things looked dodgy, but Gabrielle categorically denied anything untoward was happening.
11 Fell Apart: Nick Young & Iggy Azalea
Up until a few years ago, things were going swimmingly between pop sensation Iggy Azalea and NBA pro Nick Young. They were engaged and were looking forward to a bright future together. Then things fell apart. Iggy broke off their engagement in mid 2016, as reported by People. Iggy was distraught when she discovered Nick Young wasn't being honest with her. Iggy revealed on social media she broke up with Nick because she discovered some extracurricular activities of Young's by watching the security footage that of their home. Understandably there was no staying together for Iggy and Nick after that bombshell. Not to mention there was the whole saga of Young's teammate D'Angelo Russell recording some comments Young made that were meant to stay in the locker room. Iggy of course, heard the audio and thanked Russell for it.
10 In Trouble: Jay Cutler & Kristin Cavallari
31-year-old Kristen Cavallari has had to make a lot of sacrifices over the years. Being the wife of an NFL star isn’t easy. It’s not a conventional marriage, not by any means. Just before the two wed, they actually split up for a brief period.
Kristen initially decided to call off their engagement because she wasn’t happy with the way her life was turning out.
She was turning into a stay-at-home mom and that’s something she certainly didn’t want. She split from Jay to show him how serious she was about how things needed to change. Four months later they’d worked through their issues with the help of a therapist. They got hitched, but many would say not everything’s sunshine and roses. Kristen has revealed in her book that they still see her therapist. So, there must still be unresolved issues there.
9 Fell Apart: Terrence Ross & Amber Rose
Amber Rose is an American model and actress. The 34-year-old has been through a lot during her time in the limelight. Her personal life has been anything but a bed of roses. In 2012 she was married to Wiz Khalifa. The marriage broke down pretty quickly. Amber was quick to move on to NBA player Terrence Ross. Again, that relationship didn’t last long. It was over in a matter of months. Why? There’s so much media speculation out there, it’s hard to get our heads around what actually happened. We do know that Terrence deleted all of Amber’s pics from his Instagram page in a rather passive aggressive fashion. That just about says it all. Amber has recently embarked on and left another relationship too, this time with rapper 21 Savage.
8 In Trouble: Tristan Thompson & Khloe Kardashian
Those who know about the Kardashians, and watch their reality TV show, were rapped when Khloe announced she was pregnant. She’s watched her sisters keep popping out kids and was desperate for it to happen for herself. It didn’t happen with Lamar Odom. But with Tristan Thompson, Khloe got her wish. Tristan has been with Khloe since 2016. But things certainly aren’t going swimmingly. Type Tristan’s name into a search engine and you’ll instantly realize what I mean, or read it for yourself as outlined by The Daily Mail.
It’s just the type of thing you come to expect when the Kardashians are involved. Apparently, Khloe, who’s just given birth, is still working things out with Tristan. Only time will tell as to whether or not that’s actually true.
7 Fell Apart: Carmelo Anthony & La La Vazquez
NBA star Carmelo Anthony had been in a long term committed relationship. He was with La La Vazquez for over a decade. He got with the TV personality, author and actress in 2004.
They became engaged on Christmas day of that year and their son was born a few years later.
For many years everything appeared to be roses. But last year things took a turn for the worse. In April 2017, La La filed for divorce. They were not living together and the internet was rife with speculation about why, about Carmelo doing this and that. TMZ shed some light on what the possible reason(s) was. Despite filing for divorce, apparently proceedings are still on going. They’re separated but the two aren’t yet officially divorced.
6 In Trouble: Gerard Pique & Shakira
Barcelona’s soccer defender Gerard Pique and his wife, Hips Don’t Lie singer Shakira, are one of the biggest, most popular athlete-celeb couples around. They’ve been in a relationship since 2011 and have added two kids to their family. They appear to give off the vibe of having a perfect family life. But all is not as rosy as it seems. Late last year Spanish press were saying that the star couple were in trouble. One outlet even went as far to say that they were no longer living together. The Daily Mail has reported that Shakira instigated the breakup. They have been seen together since then, but things don’t appear to be going swimmingly. It definitely seems as if something’s happened that’s caused friction between the two. Things could escalate in 2018.
5 Fell Apart: Carl Crawford & Evelyn Lozada
MLB star Carl Crawford has had a rotten last year. He was engaged to TV personality Evelyn Lozada. They’d had a son three years previously, and the thought of marriage, throwing the perfect wedding must have been in his head. But things didn’t quite go according to plan. Evelyn decided to call off the engagement. According to TMZ, although there’s no proof – there rarely is in such matters – Evelyn just didn’t trust Carl, thought he was playing the field behind her back. So, Evelyn called off the engagement. But a lot was made of the fact that she decided to keep her $1.4 m engagement ring. Although she’s legally meant to hand it back, due to California’s laws, there was no way Evelyn was about to do that!
4 In Trouble: A-Rod & J-Lo
Both A-Rod and J. Lo are absolutely massive names in their respective industries. A-Rod was one of the most famous MLB players of all time, and J. Lo’s regarded to be one of the most influential woman in the world. Both have pretty colorful dating histories, have dated a plethora of celebs. The two first started dating in February 2017. It all appeared as if things were going swimmingly.
The two were inseparable. But late last year, various online publications began reporting that A-Rod and J. Lo were heading for a split.
According to OK! Magazine, J. Lo was feeling suffocated, was desperate for some time apart. Apparently, if sources are to be believed, J. Lo does that now and again, and just needs to jump ship. Is that normal in a loving relationship? Are they doing that to help their relationship or could it be the first step for them heading for a permanent break?
3 Fell Apart: Serge Ibaka & Keri Hilson
Serge Ibaka is a Congolese-Spanish basketball player. He’s currently with the Toronto Raptors in the NBA. In 2012, Serge began seeing R&B singer Keri Hilson. They had a pretty decent relationship, one that lasted many years. But in the end the relationship ran its course. It wasn’t a breakup filled with animosity and hatred towards each other. In fact, the two are still on good terms.
After breaking up, Keri got in the studios again and began recording new music.
She says that Serge acted as an inspiration and she actually thanked him. Keri took the breakup in her stride. Initially she vowed never to date a pro athlete. Serge became the exception. Keri has taken this period in her life as a major life lesson. Probably, what she means by that is that it’s one that’s not to be repeated.
2 In Trouble: Iman Shumpert & Teyana Taylor
NBA pro Iman Shumpert is only 27 but has already acquired quite a reputation for himself. He’s currently married to American actress, Teyana Taylor. Their relationship’s been anything but a walk in the park. Rumors of Iman’s habits have plagued the couple ever since they got together.
After Iman has initially decided to deny that anything untoward had happened, the truth eventually came out.
Iman admitted to everything in an Instagram post: “I was young, selfish, I’ve broken hearts and have been insensitive to them. I normally wouldn’t acknowledge this type of thing, but you guys win. I’m older now, I’m different now. Peace and love.” Apparently Teyana has forgiven Iman and they haven’t split. Teyana might just have a change of heart in 2018, especially if anything new comes to light.
1 Fell Apart: Marko Jaric & Adriana Lima
Former Serbian basketball player Marko Jaric spent 16 years playing as a pro. He went back and forth spending his playing days in Europe and in the NBA. His NBA comeback in 2012 didn’t go according to plan and he ended up calling it a day. In 2008 during his first spell in the NBA, Marko met and subsequently got hitched to Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima. But after five years together the marriage had fallen apart. There was plenty of speculation as to why they decided to separate. The duo neither confirmed or denied anything. But they put on a united front when facing the media, saying that they were going to remain close and civil for the sake of their kids. They finalized their divorce a couple of years after they split.