Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich Announce ‘Decision to Separate’ After 3 Years of Marriage

After nearly three years of marriage, Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich are announcing their split. “We have lovingly and carefully taken the time we have needed to arrive at our decision to separate,” the couple said in a statement shared with People on Friday, May 29. “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.”

Ahead of their breakup, the couple were spending “time apart” as they quarantined separately amid the coronavirus pandemic. An insider close to the Dancing With the Stars alum exclusively told In Touch “it was Julianne’s decision” to self-isolate in different states. “She feels it’s good for both of them to get some breathing space,” the source said. “Brooks was OK about it until he found out she’d decided to quarantine with Ben [Barnes].”

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After Julianne, 31, and Brooks, 36, spent most of March together, the Footloose actress and Westworld star were spotted going for a walk in Los Angeles in April. The former hockey player has been staying at his farm in Utah by himself. Though the couple was initially trying to “make their marriage work,” the source said they simply were “not on the same page” about their relationship. “She’s too out there for his liking,” they said. “He can’t keep up with her wackiness and unconventional views on life.”

Both stars seemed to be thriving while living apart. “This time has really given me space to think about the things that are important in my life, my day-to-day interactions. I thrive off hustle and creation and energy, but this has given me the space to actually take an hour — which I never have done before — to make a meal for lunch, and go outside and breathe in the air,” Julianne told People in early May. “I just feel more grounded and at peace. Time and space is in its own weird place right now, but I feel like I can breathe.”

In an April episode of his podcast, “How Men Think,” Brooks revealed he’s more of an “introvert by nature,” unlike his ex. “There’s a part of me that enjoys isolation,” he said. “There’s a part of me that actually gets drained when I’m around too many people.”

We’re sorry to see this couple going their separate ways, but it sounds like they’re doing what’s right for them both.