Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich Officially Split: All the Signs They Were Headed for Separation

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Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich Officially Split: All the Signs They Were Headed for Separation

It’s (been) over. Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich officially announced their split on Friday, May 29, but the warning signs were there for months before they shared the news with the world. “We have lovingly and carefully taken the time we have needed to arrive at our decision to separate,” the estranged couple said in a joint statement. “We share an abundance of love and respect for one another and will continue to lead with our hearts from that place. We kindly request your compassion and respect for our privacy moving forward.” Hough, 31, and Laich, 36, tied the knot in July 2017 after three years of dating. [jwplayer 3K3KyGQs] The former hockey player previously gushed about the Dancing With the Stars alum in June 2019. “I am so grateful to [have] her presence in my life every day. I’m grateful for the way she has challenged me, and the way that I have grown since meeting her,” he told Us Weekly exclusively at the time. “I feel like I’m a completely different person and I’ve grown to be the man that I had always hoped I would be, and I’m still working on it. I’m not perfect, I continue to grow, but she, without a doubt, has brought out the best in me and I am grateful that she chooses to be in my life every single day.” Months later, the pair showed signs of trouble, with Hough ditching her wedding ring on multiple occasions. Us confirmed in January that the twosome were “having problems.” The actress hinted at their issues while discussing the quarantine brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. “I think the best part about this — this is gonna be a time for a lot of healing, whether it’s personally, in relationships and friendships and families,” she told Extra in March. “The universe was just like, ‘Let’s put people at home and figure their s—t out,’ and I’m not just saying Brooks and I. I’m saying life in general and this is the time to do that.” Scroll down to revisit all the signs that Hough and Laich’s marriage was coming to an end.

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich Officially Split: All the Signs They Were Headed for Separation

It’s (been) over. Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich officially announced their split on Friday, May 29, but the warning signs were there for months before they shared the news with the world. “We have lovingly and carefully taken the time we have needed to arrive at our decision to separate,” the estranged couple said in a joint statement. “We share an abundance of love and respect for one another and will continue to lead with our hearts from that place. We kindly request your compassion and respect for our privacy moving forward.” Hough, 31, and Laich, 36, tied the knot in July 2017 after three years of dating. [jwplayer 3K3KyGQs] The former hockey player previously gushed about the Dancing With the Stars alum in June 2019. “I am so grateful to [have] her presence in my life every day. I’m grateful for the way she has challenged me, and the way that I have grown since meeting her,” he told Us Weekly exclusively at the time. “I feel like I’m a completely different person and I’ve grown to be the man that I had always hoped I would be, and I’m still working on it. I’m not perfect, I continue to grow, but she, without a doubt, has brought out the best in me and I am grateful that she chooses to be in my life every single day.” Months later, the pair showed signs of trouble, with Hough ditching her wedding ring on multiple occasions. Us confirmed in January that the twosome were “having problems.” The actress hinted at their issues while discussing the quarantine brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. “I think the best part about this — this is gonna be a time for a lot of healing, whether it’s personally, in relationships and friendships and families,” she told Extra in March. “The universe was just like, ‘Let’s put people at home and figure their s—t out,’ and I’m not just saying Brooks and I. I’m saying life in general and this is the time to do that.” Scroll down to revisit all the signs that Hough and Laich’s marriage was coming to an end.

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The Ring

The Safe Haven star was spotted without her wedding ring as far back as December 2019. She continued to ditch the bauble in the months that followed.

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Marital Issues Confirmed

Us reported in January that the duo “were having problems.” According to a source at the time, “They definitely have been going through a rough patch. They have both been in different places for work so they haven’t been able to spend as much time together this past few months.”

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Their Cryptic Quotes

While they never commented outright on their struggles, Hough and Laich shared a slew of cryptic quotes in recent months. The athlete admitted via Instagram in January that he was “re-assessing many things in my life,” while the singer reposted a cryptic Instagram Story quote about growth in relationships. “To love someone long-term is to attend a thousand funerals of the people they used to be,” the January post read.

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The Divorce Attorney

Laich spoke with divorce attorney Laura Wasser on a February episode of his “How Men Think” podcast. “I’m going to change in the course of my life. My wife is going to change in the course of her life,” he said at the time. “But also, I think people over time can develop some sort of indifference when once there was an attraction. They can just develop an indifference, and it’s not staying connected enough to continue to learn and grow and accept your changes, accept their changes and also challenge each other.”

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Out and About

Hough was spotted out for a walk with Ben Barnes in Los Angeles in April, though the nature of their relationship is still unknown.

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Another Snag

An insider revealed exclusively to Us in April that the former America’s Got Talent judge and Laich were “not doing well.”

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Separate Quarantines

In April, Laich confirmed that he was self-isolating in Idaho as Hough stayed in L.A. “I’ve been on my own,” the reality star explained via Instagram Live. “My husband is in Idaho doing lots of yard work … and so we’re kind of doing our separate things right now. But it’s really been a magical time.”