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Who: Actor and former backup dancer Channing Tatum, 42, and actress and professional dancer Jenna Dewan, 42.
How They Met: Back in 2006, Jenna and Channing met on the set of the film Step Up. The two played love interests on-screen, and off-screen, they became a real-life couple.
But getting there wasn’t as straightforward as one might expect. Channing had just gotten out of a long-term relationship and wasn’t looking for anything serious. Jenna was. “We went out one night and danced at a club, and there was that feeling. Then we started hanging out. But he had just gotten out of a relationship, so I said, ‘You know what? You are probably not ready to jump into another one. Why don’t you take time and figure out what you want?’" Jenna said of the situation while speaking to Cosmopolitan in 2016, “I told him, ‘I always know what I want. I’m more of a monogamous relationship person. So that’s where I would go with this, but I totally understand.’ I was smart enough not to get my feelings wrapped up in it.”
Channing decided to take the leap (after getting drunk). “I had just gotten out of a pretty long relationship, so I was in no way ready for another. I was trying to run from what I knew Jenna was—not someone I was just going to date,” he previously told Elle. “But one of my buddies was like, ‘What are you doing, man? She's dope.’ That night I showed up at her hotel room with a sombrero on, and that was it.”
Jenna eventually explained the sombrero story in more detail during an appearance on the Ellen DeGenres Show, and it’s actually pretty funny, sweet, romantic — all of the above.
"[Channing] had gone out with all of the dancers on Step Up and had this crazy wild tequila night, and he said he had the chance 'to be free,' and he couldn't stop thinking about me," Dewan recalled, adding: "So he comes down to my hotel room at two in the morning, and he's banging on the door, and I'm like, 'What is going on?' And I go and open the door, and he's in a sombrero, he's naked—no, sorry, he has underwear—underwear, sombrero, and Ugg boots, and he's like, 'Let's do this.'" According to Jenna, they ended up spending the night together, and the next day on set, they were met with a round of applause from the cast and crew.
Dewan and Tatum got engaged in 2008, and a year later, they were married during a private ceremony in Malibu. Four years into their marriage, they welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Everly, in 2013.
Why We Loved Them: Jenna and Channing’s relationship was almost entirely rooted in dance. Aside from starring in Step Up together, Dewan and Tatum both started off their careers as backup dancers (him in Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs” music video, and her during Janet Jackson’s All For You tour), and years later, they still connected over their shared passion — and would even have daily dance-offs.
“When we wake up in the morning, we put on music, and while Everly's eating we dance and it just starts to get stupid,” Channing told Redbook in 2014. “Changing the baby is an intermission—but our daughter hates getting her diaper changed, so it's almost like a break-dancing battle to get it on her. As soon as you lay her down, she's bridging out of it and doing some jujitsu windmill. It's pretty intense."
Meanwhile, Jenna said that both of them being dancers also had its benefits in the bedroom. “We definitely have a very happy and healthy [sex life]. Something about being a dancer connects you to your physical body,” she told Cosmo. “It’s primal, earthy, sexual energy by nature. You feel your body in a certain way. Channing is very much the same way. He’s very in tune with that. It just worked.”
When They Peaked: When they recreated one of their most memorable Step Up dances in celebration of the film’s 10-year anniversary.
The Breakup: A month after showing up to the 2018 Kids’ Choice Awards separately, Jenna and Channing collectively broke the internet’s heart when they announced they were breaking up with a joint statement on Instagram.
“We have lovingly chosen to separate as a couple. We fell deeply in love so many years ago and have had a magical journey together. Absolutely nothing has changed about how much we love one another, but love is a beautiful adventure that is taking us on different paths for now,” they wrote. “There are no secrets nor salacious events at the root of our decision — just two best friends realizing it’s time to take some space and help each other live the most joyous, fulfilled lives as possible. We are still a family and will always be loving, dedicated parents to Everly. We won’t be commenting beyond this, and we thank you all in advance for respecting our family’s privacy. Sending lots of love to everyone.”
In October 2018, they officially filed for divorce from each other, citing irreconcilable differences.
A year later, Jenna spoke about the split in her book Gracefully You: How To Live Your Best Life Every Day, writing: "People grow and they change, and sometimes they don’t grow and change together. So it wasn’t an overnight thing that happened. There was no one event. I think it was just a slow realization that we wanted different things."
Speaking of how she felt about the divorce at the time, Jenna continued, "I was just gutted. It was so difficult for me. It was the loss of an idealistic future for myself and my life. What does that now look like for me? Where do I begin? I met him when I was 24, I didn’t know life without Chan."
Just last month, Channing shared a similar sentiment about the divorce while speaking with Vanity Fair. “We fought for it for a really long time, even though we both sort of knew that we had sort of grown apart,” he shared. “I think we told ourselves a story when we were young, and we just kept telling ourselves that story, no matter how blatantly life was telling us that we were so different.”
Tatum revealed that although the initial stages of the split were “super scary and terrifying,” he believes it was for the best. “Your life just turns on its axis. This whole plan that you had literally just turns into sand and goes through your fingers, and you’re just like, ‘Oh, shit. What now?’” he said, adding, “It was probably exactly what I needed. I don’t think I would’ve ever done the work, I think, on myself in the way that I had to do the work on myself to really try to figure out what next.”
Where They Are Now: Soon after filing for divorce, Channing started dating singer Jessie J in 2018. They broke up in December 2019, only to get back together in the New Year. But by April 2020, they called it quits for good. The next year, Channing was linked to his current girlfriend, Zoë Kravitz, after the two were photographed in now-viral photos riding around on a BMX bike in New York City.
Career-wise, Channing has continued to combine his two loves of acting and dance — particularly with the Magic Mike film franchise (this month, the third installment hit theaters). But that's not to say he hasn't been busy making other movies, such as The Hateful Eight, Dog, and The Lost City. Channing will also be starring in the upcoming thriller Pussy Island, directed by Kravitz.
Following the split, Jenna found love again with her now-fiancé, actor Steve Kazee. The two first met in 2012 when Jenna was married to Channing, but they reconnected years later after they were both single. In 2019, the couple announced they were expecting their first child together, and several months later, Steve proposed — weeks before welcoming their son, Callum. Jenna and Steve are expected to have a wedding sometime in 2023.
In addition to being a mom, Jenna has also made acting a priority. She's appeared in TV shows, like The Resident and Superman & Lois, as well as films — including The Wedding Year and Berlin, I Love You. She's currently playing Bailey Nune, a firefighter, in the series The Rookie.
#TBT: Check in every Thursday as we throw it back to some of our favorite celebrity couples of all time.
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