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Who Is Katy Perry?
Katy Perry is one of the most widely recognised pop stars of her generation. Before making it big, she was a gospel singer and received a ton of rejection from music producers. She persisted until her hit song ‘I Kissed A Girl’ gained massive popularity.
Who Is Russell Brand?
The quick-witted, charismatic Russell Brand is best known as a comedian and actor in Hollywood. He’s appeared in movies like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Arthur, and Get Him To The Greek, often taking on comedic roles. Apart from entertaining audiences with his humour, Russell inspires those who are recovering from addiction. After giving up his lifestyle of partying, alcohol, and drugs, he leads by example, staying sober for 16 years and counting.
Katy and Russell’s Relationship
Hollywood romances hardly last, and this holds true for Katy Perry and Russell Brand’s relationship. From being madly in love to filing divorce papers, Katy and Russell quickly learned that they wanted different things in life. Let’s look back on how it all began and why it ended as we reveal the truth behind their split!
How It Started
It was love at first strike when Katy Perry threw a plastic water bottle at Russell Brand to grab his attention during the 2009 VMA rehearsals. In an interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Russell described this experience by saying: “it was like being struck by cupid but sort of in a riot.”
Despite Katy’s questionable strategy to get Russel to notice her, they clicked after their conversation that day. The two went on their first date soon after and then instantly became an item. Katy told Elle that ever since they got together, “there hasn’t been a dull moment.”
Calm down, It’s not what you think. In 2010, Russell was promoting his new book: Booky Wook 2: This Time It’s Personal. At the event, he was asked if he had plans to co-star in movies and TV shows with his wife. The comedian jokingly replied: “We’ll do a sex tape! Give them what they want!” – never a dull moment indeed, Katy.
Tying The Knot
After four months of dating, Katy Perry and Russell Brand were engaged on New Year’s Eve 2010 in India. An insider told Daily Mail Online: “[Katy’s] never connected with anybody like this. He makes her laugh like nobody else in the world.”
The pair set their wedding date for October 23 of the same year and were married just across the tiger sanctuary where Russell proposed. The private wedding involved jugglers and elephants to pay tribute to Indian culture but followed a traditional Catholic ceremony to honour Katy’s religion.
No official photos or videos were publicly shared but Katy’s ‘Not Like The Movies’ 2011 grammy performance featured snippets from their special day. Looking closely at the backdrop, we can see that Katy is glowing with joy in her beautiful lace embellished wedding dress.
The Divorce
It didn’t take long for Russell Brand to go from Katy’s first husband to ex-husband. After 14 months of marriage, all it took was one text message telling Katy that he was filing for divorce. Ouch. Just before the breakup, the two were drifting apart and didn’t even spend Christmas together, according to E! News.
Why Russell Ended The Relationship
With Katy usually on the road promoting her music, absence made Russell’s heart grow colder. Russell insists that it was his ex-wife’s overwhelming fame and work schedule that drove him away. He told W Channel: "Katy was obviously very, very occupied and busy. I was occupied and busy but not to the same degree."
He also realised that he didn’t want to be a part of the lavish songstress’ party lifestyle and glamorous image. In his documentary BRAND: A Second Coming, he expressed: “I’m associated with the very thing I detest: vapid, vacuous, plastic, constructed, mindless celebrity.” He added that he wanted to focus on making transformative changes regarding social and environmental issues instead of simply being ‘Katy Perry’s husband’.
Katy’s Side Of The Story
Katy admitted that she was off touring a lot but expressed: “I tried to come home as much as I possibly could.” She claimed that Russell wouldn’t even come see her during her tour. Rumours speculate that Russell was ready to start a family and upset that Katy refused to take a break from her career.
In an interview with Vogue, Katy interpreted Russell’s lack of support as him being intimidated by her success. She shared: “I think a lot of times strong men do want an equal, but then they get that equal and they’re like, I can’t handle the ‘equalness’. He didn’t like the atmosphere of me being the boss on tour.”
Katy Spirals Into Depression
Katy’s divorce from Russell crushed her and caused serious depression. In an interview with Sunday Times, she shared: "I was in bed for about two weeks. I was pretty f--ked, yes. It hurt a lot.” She added, “My self-worth was in someone else's hands which is never a good idea because it can be taken from you at any time."
In Katy’s ‘Part Of Me’ documentary, we watched the singer battle with depression as her marriage fell apart behind the scenes. One of the most heartbreaking clips from the film includes Katy devastated and in tears. Despite this, she forced herself to get ready and put on a fake smile for the show.
‘By The Grace Of God’
Further emphasising the heartache from her failed marriage, Katy admitted to having suicidal ideations. She told The Project: “It was sad and there were thoughts, but there were never actions, thankfully.”
Katy healed her wounds the only way she knew how – through music. She confirmed that ‘By the Grace of God’ is about ex-husband Russell. “That song is evident of how tough it really was at a certain point. I asked myself: Do I want to endure? Should I continue living?”
Russell Brand on Katy Perry
While Katy was going through a very tough time, Russell wanted everyone to know that he still cared about her. On The Ellen Degeneres Show, he emphasised: “I was very happy to be married to her. She’s such a beautiful human being and I have only love and positivity for her.” He made a similar comment on Howard Stern’s radio show: "She's a good person. I've got nothing but love for her.”
Moving On
It’s been almost seven years since the Katy Perry and Russell Brand breakup, and we’re glad to say that both celebs have moved on.
Today, Russell Brand is a doting father of two daughters with his wife Laura Gallacher. In an interview with On Demand News, he was asked what the best thing about being a dad is. He replied: “having something outside of yourself that’s more important than you.”
Meanwhile, Katy is in ‘full bloom’ after her recent engagement to Pirates of the Caribbean star Orlando Bloom. On The Ellen Degeneres Show, she describes her new husband-to-be as “the kindest man I’ve ever met.” We couldn’t be more pleased that Katy Perry and Russell Brand received their respective happy endings.
