What Went Wrong

Wed almost 9 years, the couple reveal they have “lovingly chosen to separate,” how their marriage fell apart—and why they finally decided to end it

- Kara Warner, Pernilla Cedenheim & Julie Jordan

To most of the world, they seemed as happy as ever: On March 18, Channing Tatum and his wife, Jenna Dewan Tatum, shared photos from a weekend of family fun on Instagram—complete with face painting done by their “fairy artist” daughter Everly, 4. Then on March 24, Everly attended her first public event with her parents—the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, where she and her mum watched her dad get in a snowball fight with the audience. But in reality, the couple who fans watched fall in love onscreen in the hit 2006 dance movie Step Up were facing the end of their nearly nine-year marriage.

“We have lovingly chosen to separate,” they announced in a joint statement on April 2. “We fell deeply in love so many years ago and have had a magical journey together, but love is a beautiful adventure that is taking us on different paths for now. Absolutely nothing has changed about how much we love one another— we will remain a family and united parents to our daughter, Everly.

“There are no secrets nor salacious events at the root of our decision—just two best friends realising it’s time to take some space and help each other live the most joyous, fulfilled lives as possible.”

The news came as a shock to fans for whom the Alabama-born star of Magic Mike and the Texas-raised World of Dance host, both 37, embodied Hollywood #couplegoals.

Together for 12 years they combined superstar looks (he was People magazine’s 2012 Sexiest Man Alive) with down-to-earth charm, breaking into impromptu dance-offs at A-list events and openly talking about the work they put into their relationship.