The sweetest goodbye. After nine years together, Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert called it quits on Monday, July 20.
More than four years after the country superstars tied the knot in Texas, they announced in a statement to Us Weekly, “This is not the future we envisioned. And it is with heavy hearts that we move forward separately. We are real people, with real lives, with real families, friends, and colleagues. Therefore, we kindly ask for privacy and compassion concerning this very personal matter.”
Before their unexpected split, Shelton, 39, and Lambert, 31, charmed fans with their many collaborations, red carpet appearances, and sweet interviews about one another. The singers met at CMT’s 100 Greatest Duets Concert in 2005 and started dating the next year after Shelton divorced his first wife, Kaynette Gern.
The recently estranged pair took home CMA Awards and ACM Awards together, honored for their 2012 songwriting collaboration “Over You,” and cemented their status as country music’s golden couple. Shelton even included personal footage of Lambert before the couple’s wedding night in his 2011 “God Gave Me You” music video, in which he croons about love and personal growth.
Unfortunately, Shelton and Lambert’s time in the sun was shorter than many expected. Look back on the stars’ sweetest moments together in the video above.
