Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich separate after almost three years of marriage, fans say they are not surprised
Julianne Hough and her husband Brooks Laich have announced their decision to split after nearly three years of marriage. The couple released a joint statement on Friday, May 29 announcing their separation. The statement reads, "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."
Rumors of their marriage being in trouble had been doing the rounds for a while. They only intensified when the couple decided to quarantine separately when the coronavirus pandemic broke out. While the former 'America's Got Talent' star was staying in LA, her hockey player husband was in Idaho. Hough was spotted without her wedding ring in a few pictures she has posted on social media earlier this year, which left people wondering if the couple's marriage was on rocks. The rumors intensified when Hough was spotted taking an afternoon stroll in April during the quarantine with her close friend Ben Barnes. Although their stroll seemed completely casual and innocent, people began wondering about her marriage and her husband.
Hough shocked everybody when she announced last August during an interview with Women's Health magazine that she was "not straight," reports ET Online. She posed nude for the cover of the magazine when she revealed that she told her husband about her sexual orientation. She explained, "I [told him], 'You know I'm not straight, right?' And he was like, 'I'm sorry, what?'" she recalled. "I was like, 'I'm not. But I choose to be with you.'" She then added, "I think there's a safety with my husband now that I'm unpacking all of this. There's no fear of voicing things that I've been afraid to admit or that I've had shame or guilt about because of what I've been told or how I was raised."
Following his wife Hough's suit, Laich revealed that his goal for 2020 is to learn more about his sexuality. In an Instagram post which he shared on New Year's eve, he shared his goals list with his followers, Under the "I want to learn" category, the athlete wrote, "More about intimacy and my sexuality." He also expressed that he wants to be more "open to all things and present in my relationships," and ended the list by sharing that he's most excited about "stepping into a new version of me." Despite the signs of their rocky marriage, the couple continued to support each other by constantly complimenting each other on social media.
When fans learned the news of the couple's separation, they weren't surprised at all. A fan tweeted, "I do not think this is a surprise to anyone. When she came out the way she did when she was on AGT. You had to believe the marriage was a joke from the start.Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich Split After Nearly 3 Years of Marriage." Another fan slammed the couple's separation by writing, "Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich separate: Dont u just luv these lame excuses why their not together! Hey honey after 3 yrs this is where it goes! STAY SINGLE OR LIVE TOGETHER! STOP MAKING A MOCKERY OF MARRIAGE!" "I hate this. #JulianneHough knew she wasn't 100% committed to #BrooksLaich before they even got married. This nice Canadian guy got used & spit out. I no longer have respect for Ms. Hough. At least now Brooks is free to find someone who will love him 100% without the baggage," commented an unhappy fan.