It’s a term used to describe the time when a relationship can get a little too familiar.
But the seven-year itch has seen some of Hollywood’s ‘strongest’ couples fall victim.
This group of couples includes well-known celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt, Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello, and Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis.
News also came out earlier this week that Millie Mackintosh and Hugo Taylor, stars of the show Made In Chelsea, have split up after being married for seven years.
But is it actually a real thing that can end relationships, and how can you avoid it?
According to relationship expert Annabelle Knight, the biggest problem in many relationships is that over time, people become too comfortable with each other and lose the emotional connection they once had.
When relationships begin, strong physical attraction, new experiences, and feelings of pleasure drive the connection. As time goes on, these relationships typically evolve into a deeper, more secure bond based on attachment.
Relationships often settle into a comfortable routine focused on stability and security, rather than intense passion. If couples aren’t aware this change is natural, they might wrongly believe they’re losing their feelings for each other.
As someone who’s always been fascinated by what makes relationships work, I’ve been following the research in this area closely. A recent study in The Journal of Social Psychological and Personality Science really resonated with me. It found that many couples experience a dip in their happiness around the six to eight year mark – and it makes total sense! It seems that when you’re both building careers, raising kids, and just generally carrying a lot on your shoulders, it can put a strain on things. It’s a really common pattern, and knowing about it helps you prepare and work through it.
Changes in who a person is can also play a role. By the time students reach year seven, they’ve usually gone through a lot of development and are quite different from who they were before.
People change over time – in their personal lives, careers, and emotionally. However, many couples don’t adjust their relationship to reflect those changes.
‘There’s also the idea that the grass is greener on the other side.
At this point in life, people often look to others – through social media, their jobs, or new friendships – for approval. This can lead them to think they’ve lost their passions when they’re actually just taking a break from them.
Surprisingly, research from the Gottman Institute reveals that couples don’t split up because of arguments, but because they stop connecting emotionally.
When couples stop making an effort to connect – things like sharing updates, being affectionate, or addressing minor issues – they start to grow apart and feel resentful towards each other.
Annabelle continued: ‘So how do couples avoid it?.
Rediscover joy: Trying new things boosts your brain’s feel-good chemicals. Even little adjustments to your routine can have a significant impact.
Many people don’t openly discuss issues with their sex lives, but studies show that talking about sex is a key factor in keeping relationships strong and happy over time.
Relationships change over time. What initially worked for a couple won’t necessarily continue to work long-term. It’s important to revisit and redefine roles, expectations, and what each person needs from the relationship.
It’s not luck that helps couples avoid problems around the seven-year mark; it’s effort and good communication.
Relationships are dynamic – people connect, grow apart, and reconnect, constantly communicating and evolving together as they both change.
Here are the couples that have fallen victim to the seven-year itch.
Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt
Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt are victims of the seven-year curse.
Their managers introduced them in the mid-1990s, long before they became a couple.
When Jenifer and Tate Donovan broke up, and Brad ended his engagement with Gwyneth Paltrow, their representatives decided to introduce them to each other.
They kept their relationship a secret for the first few months, before publicly appearing together as a couple for the first time at the 1999 Emmy Awards.
That November, Jennifer and her partner revealed they were engaged. Jennifer displayed a stunning diamond and platinum ring designed by Italian jeweler Silvia Damiani.
The couple got married in Malibu, California, in July 2000, with around 200 close friends and family in attendance.
Event planners estimated the wedding day may have cost $1 million (£730,000).
In February 2004, Jennifer said ‘it’s time’ to start a family with Brad.
Speaking to The Guardian, she said: ‘It’s time. It’s time.
I believe it’s possible to balance work with having a baby or being pregnant – you can really manage it all.
‘So I’m just truly looking forward to slowing down.’
Despite discussing starting a family, the couple surprised everyone by announcing their split in January of the next year.
In a joint statement, they announced their decision to separate after seven years together.
As a longtime follower, I want to clear things up: all the rumors you’ve been reading in the tabloids about why we’re separating just aren’t true. We want to set the record straight – it wasn’t anything like what’s been reported.
After careful thought, the actors made this decision, according to a joint statement.
‘We happily remain committed and caring friends with great love and admiration for one another.
‘We ask in advance for your kindness and sensitivity in the coming months.’
I was so upset when the news came out about Brad and Angelina. It turned out that Jennifer was absolutely devastated to discover they’d become close while filming ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith,’ and that he’d been unfaithful. It was a really tough time for her, and honestly, for anyone who supported their relationship.
Brad and Angelina got married and were together for eleven years before their highly publicized and difficult breakup.
He’s currently dating Ines de Ramon, who works in the jewelry industry, and Jennifer is in a relationship with Jim Curtis, a wellness coach and hypnotist.
Millie Mackintosh and Hugo Taylor
Millie Mackintosh and Hugo Taylor split after seven years of marriage.
Millie, now 36, and Hugo, 39, have known each other since their teenage years. They started dating when Millie was 21 and became well-known together after appearing on the reality TV show Made In Chelsea.
In 2013, the heiress married rapper Professor Green, who is now 42, but they divorced three years later in 2016. That same year, she got back together with Hugo.
They got married two years after they first met and had their first daughter, Sienna, in 2020. A year later, in 2021, they welcomed their second daughter, Aurelia.
Millie has recently shared with her fans about her past difficulties with alcohol, which prompted her to stop drinking altogether and write the book Bad Drunk. She’s also spoken about her experiences with, and recovery from, serious anxiety.
Millie has openly discussed starting to drink heavily at a young age while at boarding school. She used alcohol as a way to deal with feeling homesick, being bullied, and struggling with self-doubt.
Last year, she released Bad Drunk, a candid account of her path to getting sober and overcoming the harmful patterns and feelings of guilt from her past.
Millie began appearing on Made In Chelsea when she was 21, and she says her drinking increased after that. This happened because she received negative comments about her looks online, which led to feelings of anxiety and panic attacks.
I recently listened to Millie’s interview on Roxie Nafousi’s ‘Rise With Roxie’ podcast, and she was incredibly open about the challenges she and Hugo faced during their marriage. It was really brave of her to share those personal details, and it offered a raw and honest look at what they went through.
She described using Xanax or Valium along with alcohol to feel better after drinking, and confessed she’d simply swapped one addiction for another. She kept this hidden from her husband, Hugo.
Millie admitted she kept her Xanax use a secret from him – he wasn’t aware it was happening.
I kept my drinking a secret, but it definitely led to a lot of arguments. Towards the end, I realized it was seriously hurting the relationship, and it was just constant drama.
Now, the Made In Chelsea couple have quietly separated following a difficult start to the year.
People who know them say they’re still dedicated to raising their children together and making sure their kids feel loved and supported, and that remains their main focus.
Millie and Hugo have separated and are no longer together, according to a source.
After knowing each other for a long time, they recently had some difficult talks about their future and have decided to separate.
Their children and family are their top priority, and they never wanted to separate.
They’re currently figuring out what it would be like to live separately and how they’ll share the responsibilities of raising their young children.
The beginning of the year has been really challenging, and they’re hoping to keep dealing with things privately.
Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello
Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello split after seven years of marriage.
People first noticed the couple together in July 2014, though they had actually started dating secretly the month before.
The actress who earned the most on television in 2018 publicly confirmed her relationship in August 2014 while being interviewed by Extra.
“I’m really enjoying this moment,” she said. “It’s a special period in my life, and I’m trying to just live it without overthinking things.”
‘It’s something very new, so we will see what happens.’
Sofia seemed to fall for him immediately, and happily shared that her family also approved of her new boyfriend, asking, ‘What’s not to like?’
Joe proposed to the actress after just six months of dating, during a Christmas Eve trip to Hawaii.
In November 2015, the couple married in a lavish ceremony with around 400 guests at The Breakers resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
But it wasn’t meant to last, and they split in July 2023.
In a statement, the couple, Sofia and Joe shared: ‘We have made the difficult decision to divorce.
We love and care for each other deeply and kindly request privacy as we adjust to this new chapter in our lives.
Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis
Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis ended their engagement after seven years.
She and Jason began dating in November 2011, after first meeting several months earlier at a party following a Saturday Night Live show.
During a 2017 interview on The Late Late Show With Stephen Colbert, the actor from Horrible Bosses shared the story of his first time meeting Olivia. He said he’d heard she was already seeing someone, so he didn’t try to flirt with her at the party.
I ended up seeming much more relaxed and confident than I felt, because I’d heard from friends that people thought I was already seeing someone. Because of that, I didn’t feel the need to pursue anything.
Olivia has described meeting Jason as happening at a time when she was getting used to being on her own after a divorce. They were both dating other people, but hadn’t settled down. She appreciated that he seemed genuine and wasn’t trying to impress her.
The actress shared with Allure that she and the person she’s now with kept meeting by chance over several months. Eventually, a friend encouraged them to finally start dating.
She explained that everything started when her close friend gave a guy her phone number one night, saying, ‘Here, call her.’
The two went public with their romance that December, and Jason proposed two years later in 2013.
The couple had their first child, a son named Otis, in 2014, and then welcomed their daughter, Daisy, in 2016.
In a 2016 interview with Net-a-Porter, Olivia said that having a wedding wasn’t a focus for her and her partner now that they had a child.
She explained that marriage feels like the biggest commitment you can make before having a child, but once a child arrives, it solidifies the bond even further – it’s like you’re already deeply connected.
However, their romance ended abruptly in 2020, shortly after she started working on the movie Don’t Worry Darling with Harry Styles.
Filming began in September 2020, and just two months later, news broke that she and Jason had split up after a decade together.
Early reports described the breakup as friendly, stating that they had separated quietly at the start of the year.
In January 2021, photos surfaced of the actress holding hands with a former member of One Direction, sparking rumors that she had been unfaithful to her fiancé with the singer.
According to a source who spoke with People magazine, Jason believes Olivia and Harry are presenting an inaccurate picture of when their relationship began. He disputes their claim that he and Olivia separated long before she became involved with Harry.
Filming for ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ started in September, and soon after, it became clear she wanted to end their relationship. They publicly announced their breakup in November.
Olivia continues to deny any infidelity with Jason, maintaining that she and Jason had already broken up before she began seeing Harry.
She told Vanity Fair that the rumor she left Jason for Harry is totally false.
After their difficult breakup, Olivia and Jason quickly found themselves in a heated and unpleasant fight over who would care for their two children.
The actress was infamously served custody papers on stage while at CinemaCon in April 2022.
She later told Variety that the attempt to undermine her was deeply hurtful and malicious.
Honestly, it didn’t even shock me, not really. I mean, that’s why I got out of there in the first place. It just… confirmed what I already knew, deep down.
The disagreement over the children started when Olivia reportedly told Jason she wished to relocate them to London, where their father, Harry, resides.
Court records show that Olivia and Jason originally planned for their children to return to school in Los Angeles in 2022, once filming for Ted Lasso was finished.
According to documents, he stated that Olivia told him she planned to move with the children to London after the school year ended in 2023.
He preferred to relocate the children to New York, explaining that he and Olivia had spent the majority of their time together there throughout their relationship.
She responded to the lawsuit by requesting it be dismissed and instead initiated a legal process in California to establish parenthood. She argued that the children had primarily lived in Los Angeles or London for the past four years, rather than New York.
After a two-year legal fight, the couple privately reached a custody agreement in September 2023.
The couple has agreed to co-parent their two children, and the actor will pay $27,500 each month for child support.
Amy Schumer and Chris Fischer
I was so shocked to hear that Amy Schumer and Chris Fischer are getting divorced! After seven years together, it’s really sad news, and honestly, it came as a complete surprise to me.
In November 2017, people started speculating that the two were a couple after a photo surfaced of them enjoying a romantic dinner in New York City.
In February the following year, they tied the knot in a private ceremony in Malibu, California.
About 80 guests came to the intimate wedding, including Jennifer Aniston and Larry David.
Amy announced her ‘spur-of-the-moment’ nuptials by sharing sweet snaps from the event on Instagram.
Amy shared the news of her first pregnancy in October 2018 and welcomed a son on May 5th.
The couple revealed in 2020 that they were undergoing IVF in a candid Instagram post.
She wrote: ‘To give Gene a sibling.
‘I’m a week into IVF and feeling really run down and emotional.
If you’ve been through this before and have any tips or would be willing to share your experience, I’d really appreciate it.
The following April, Amy discussed their intimate life, sharing that they typically had sex every seven to ten days.
That year she joked that she’d Chris because ‘he’s a chef!’
She confirmed that everything was true, admitting she wasn’t being dishonest. She said he was aware of the situation, and while they had a prenuptial agreement, it wouldn’t actually be necessary.
But in December 2025, the pair announced their separation.
The actress announced on Instagram that she and her chef husband are divorcing after seven years of marriage. They described it as a difficult decision.
She announced that she and Chris have decided to divorce after seven years of marriage.
We care deeply for each other and are committed to raising our son. We kindly ask for privacy as we navigate this time.
Amy explained that she and her husband didn’t split up because she lost weight and thought she could attract someone new, or because he’s a successful and attractive chef who still has a lot of appeal.
Okay, so she said it’s all good, totally amicable, with ‘all love and respect!’ Honestly, it’s like she’s trying to convince us everything’s fine, but I’m choosing to believe her! And that ‘Family forever’ bit? Ugh, it just kills me! They’re meant to be, I know it, and that little message gives me hope! I’m still obsessed, obviously.
Sue Perkins and Anna Richardson
Sue Perkins and Anna Richardson split after seven years.
Anna and her now-partner started dating in 2013. They met at a Halloween party shortly after Anna ended her 18-year relationship with Charles Martin.
In a 2015 interview with The Telegraph, Anna revealed she’d been friends with Sue for years. However, it wasn’t until they met at a party after Anna’s split from Charles that she realized her feelings went beyond friendship.
She excitedly explained that when she received the party invitation and learned Sue would be there, she felt a little spark of curiosity. It made her think, and she sensed a special atmosphere.
Honestly, it was one of those nights I’ll never forget. I was completely letting loose, even dancing on the table – totally spontaneous! It just felt…significant, like a real turning point for me. It was one of those moments that really makes you feel alive.
She didn’t want to define her sexuality just then, especially since she’d been in a long-term relationship with a man for nearly twenty years.
I am who I am, and I don’t feel the need to define my sexuality with labels like ‘gay’ or ‘straight.’ It’s always changing. Right now, I’m simply in love with a woman, and that’s all there is to it, she said.
While on the Lorraine show, she excitedly shared details about her relationship, revealing more about their romance.
I’ve known Sue professionally for years, seeing her at different events. But about a year and a half ago, we really connected at a party. I had just gone through a breakup, and with Sue, it was like something just… clicked. There was an instant understanding, and honestly, it felt like everything fell into place. It wasn’t even about her being a woman, it was just that she’s an absolutely extraordinary person.
She shared that her parents, despite being religious – her father a vicar and her mother a Religious Education teacher – were surprisingly supportive. She had been concerned about telling them at first.
Given that my dad is a vicar and my mum teaches religious education, I thought they might be upset, but surprisingly they were very understanding and supportive, and they’re just glad I’m happy.
In 2015, Sue described meeting Anna as a truly special experience. She said they immediately connected and enjoyed each other’s company, bringing a lot of happiness into her life, which she felt very grateful for.
After seven years, the couple decided to separate around Christmas 2020, realizing they weren’t meant to stay together.
A source told the Sun at the time: ‘It’s really sad. Both Anna and Sue are devastated.
Everyone is hoping they can resolve their issues, but it looks like their relationship is finished for now.
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