Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich are separating. In a statement to People on Friday, May 29, the couple said that they still love and respect one another.
“We have lovingly and carefully taken the time we have needed to arrive at our decision to separate. 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,” the couple said.
According to a source close to the couple, the relationship has been over for some time now.
“It’s time to just call it what it is — and it is over. There is honestly no ill will. He loves her. She loves him. I can truly say they always will. But they both understand they are not meant to go through their lives as husband and wife to each other,” the source explained.
The news of their separation comes following reports that Hough and Laich had been social distancing separately during the coronavirus pandemic. Hough has been in Los Angeles, while Laich is in Idaho. An insider close to Laich also said that the two haven’t seen each other in almost two months.
A source close to the couple said that Hough is a “deeply different” person from who she was when the two got married. Hough announced that she was “not straight” last year, and the source said that she is proud of the changes she’s made in her life, and she’s not interested in going backward.
Laich, meanwhile remains the person he’s always been, and the two now recognize that they shouldn’t spend the rest of their lives together. The source suggested that they are on the same page about that now, and they’re hoping to move forward as friends who share a deep love and connection. Laich and Hough were both perfectly happy during their time apart, and sources said that made them realize it was time for them to separate.
The source close to Laich also said that the couple has realized that they now have very different priorities. The insider also said that Laich is very happy to be away from Los Angeles, while Hough wants to continue living in the city.
The decision was not hasty or rash, according to another source close to the couple. Laich and Hough had tried living together and separately, and came to the conclusion that their romantic relationship was over.
