8 celebrity divorces that caught us by surprise 

Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello

Credit: Getty Images

1/8

Sofia, 51 and Joe, 46, announced to Page Six in July 2023 that they were headed for divorce after seven years of marriage. Since then, Sofia has been partying it up. The Modern Family star took a three-week vacation in Italy, flooding Instagram with her best hot girl summer selfies. Upon returning to the US, Sofia has been spotted in Florida and Los Angeles, hanging out with her friends and having a ton of fun. Honestly? Love it for her.

Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo

Credit: Blossom Entertainment

2/8

It was a K-drama come true when we learned that Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, the two main leads in Descendants of the Sun, were a real item off-screen. But alas, it wasn’t the happily ever after that we were hoping for. Just two years after their much talked about wedding, the Song-Song couple announced their divorce, citing “differences in personality”.

Song Joong-ki remarried earlier this year, to British-Colombian Katy Louise Saunders. The couple share a son, who was born in Rome in June 2023. Meanwhile, Song Hye-kyo continues to reign in the K-drama sphere, receiving acclaim from both viewers and critics alike with her performance in 2023’s The Glory. The also role won her the award of Best Television Actress at the prestigious Baeksang Awards this year.

Following a string of high-profile romances, Ariana decided to keep her 2020 romance with real estate agent Dalton Gomez super lowkey, only publicising their relationship in the music video for her charity single with Justin Bieber, ‘Stuck with U’. They got engaged towards the end of 2020 and tied the knot in May the following year.

All seemed well until last month, when Ariana was spotted at Wimbledon without her wedding ring. Rumours of their split were confirmed shortly later, with the revelation that Ariana is now dating her Wicked co-star, Ethan Slater - and that they had been dating for a few months now. TMZ also confirmed last month that Ethan had filed for divorce from his ex-wife Lilly Jay, with whom he has a one-year-old child with.

Huang Xiaoming and Angelababy

Credit: Getty Images

4/8

Who can forget the lavish US$31 million ($41.5 million) wedding banquet thrown by Huang Xiaoming and Angelababy in 2015? It was reported to be one of the most expensive wedding banquets in China’s history, and was even live streamed to the masses. The couple spent about US$5.4 million ($7.2 million) on the decor alone and included a phone in the goody bags that were gifted to their 2,000-something guests.

Despite their fairytale wedding - which by the way, also included a holographic castle - the couple didn’t manage to find their happily ever after. They announced their split in January 2022 without revealing the cause of their divorce, stating that they were still on good terms and will be co-parenting their son, who is now six years old.

Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth

Credit: Getty Images

5/8

Here’s a quick recap of Miley and Liam’s ten-year relationship: the two played love interests on the 2009 film The Last Song, which led to an on-again off-again romance in real life. Two engagements later (their first engagement from 2012 to 2013 failed, which led to Miley’s iconic song ‘Wrecking Ball’), the pair finally tied the knot in a private ceremony in 2018. Their marriage didn’t last long; Liam filed for divorce in 2019, citing irreconcilable differences.

Barbie Hsu and Wang Xiaofei

Credit: barbiehsu.fp/Instagram

6/8

Once upon a time, Barbie and her business tycoon husband Xiaofei were total couple goals. They had a whirlwind romance and got married in 2011 - after going on just four dates over the span of one and a half months! They divorced in 2021, after ten years of marriage and two children. It was a messy and ugly split, with a custody battle, several lawsuits, and both camps airing each other’s dirty laundry on social media.

Shaun Chen and Michelle Chia

Credit: 何炳耀/SPH

7/8

Shaun and Michelle dated for six years before getting hitched in 2009 with a live, televised wedding. Their divorce just two years later in 2011 was highly-publicised, with rumours that there was a third party involved. Despite that, Shaun said in a 2012 interview that the two separated on good terms.

Shaun remarried in 2014 to Celine Chin, who is 11 years his junior. They have two daughters who are seven and five this year. Michelle, on the other hand, has remained tight-lipped about her love life. She was reported to be in a long-term relationship in 2019, but has never revealed his identity.

Allan Wu and Wong Li Lin

Credit: Getty Images

8/8

In 2013, Fly Entertainment released a statement on Allan and Li Lin’s divorce, sending shockwaves throughout the industry. At that point, the Fly Entertainment artistes had been married for 9 years and have two children, daughter Sage and son Jonas. It has been ten years since, and the ex-couple seems to be a pretty good example of what it means to co-parent: both of them reportedly kept in touch to discuss matters relating to their children and had even spent time post-divorce as a family.