Rumours are swirling about Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry’s relationship status, after the Pirates of the Caribbean actor attended billionaire Jeff Bezos’ luxury Italian wedding alone.
Bezos and Lauren Sánchez are currently in the throes of a three-day-long wedding celebration in Venice, an occasion that has been met with hostility by locals. The tech mogul’s guest list is jam-packed with A-listers, from Kim Kardashian to Jessica Alba to Leonardo DiCaprio.
Is Perry’s absence from the glamorous party indicative that the couple are on the rocks? Here’s what we know so far:
When and how did they meet?
Perry and Bloom first cross paths at a Golden Globe Awards after party in January 2016. The pair were “extremely flirty and whispering to each other,” according to an Us Weekly source. “He would lean in to whisper into her ear and touch the small of her back as they chatted.” The two were reportedly spotted leaving the party together.
By May, the couple were Instagram official. The I Kissed a Girl singer shared a photo of the couple wearing bathrobes outside a grand building in Cannes.
What is going on with them now?
Tension in the stars’ relationship is believed to have been brewing since September when Perry released her latest album, 143. It was the lowest scoring album on a review site in over a decade.
“Katy was deeply frustrated following the reception of her new album. It made her very stressed,” a source told People.
“Orlando was understanding, but it did cause some tension.”
Another source told the Daily Mail: "Katy has not been the same person for over a year now and Orlando has had enough. He advised her against this album. She did it. He advised her against space. She did it. He advised her against this tour and she did it.
“From where Orlando stands, all he ever wanted was for Katy to be herself. He fell in love with her and who she is inside but this past year, he believes, has brought out the worst in her. He wants her to be happy and he wants her to be authentic. He just wants her to stop and enjoy the life that she has built”.
Perry also faced backlash after blasting into space on one of Bezos’s Blue Origin planes in April, with some describing the trip as “tone deaf,” given the current cost-of-living and environmental crises. The singer subsequently confessed that she was feeling “battered and bruised” by the online reaction - with Bloom apparently not pleased with the trip either.
Sánchez, CBS News anchor Gayle King, film producer Kerianne Flynn, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and rocket scientist Aisha Bowe were also on board.
A source told The Sun: “From day one, Orlando didn’t think going on the Blue Origin mission was a good idea, and knew she would face a backlash”.
“He told her the whole thing looked ridiculous," another source told the Daily Mail. "He said it was cringeworthy. Embarrassing. This was in the middle of a fight, and it hurt her feelings. Of course she was hurt. Imagine going to space—motherf**king space—and your partner isn't impressed. She hoped he'd be more supportive”.
If the couple are in fact drifting apart, this wouldn’t be the first time. Bloom and Perry first broke up in February 2017, releasing a joint statement about their decision.
“Before rumors or falsifications get out of hand we can confirm that Orlando and Katy are taking respectful, loving space at this time”. The split was initiated by Perry, but Orlando was feeling it too, a source told E!
The exes stayed friends and ultimately got back together. The pair announced their engagement in 2019.
Why is Orlando Bloom at Jeff Bezos' wedding alone?
Perry is currently touring Australia, with shows in Perth on June 22 and 23, followed by June 26 in Adelaide. It would have been very difficult to squeeze in Bezos’ three-day wedding, taking place between June 24 to 26 in Venice, in between the tour dates.
But according to the Daily Mail, the June 23 and 26 tour dates were not initially listed when she announced the tour in September, and were added in the following weeks. The Mail added that Bloom hasn’t visited her there during the tour.
"She does have prior commitments, but it goes deeper than that,” a source said to The Daily Mail.
"Katy feels like they're really her friends more than his, and yet he's the one going to the wedding. And he's insistent that he goes, which annoys her because he's not particular close to either of them. She feels like it's a 'fuck you' to her from him.
He complains about her going to space, and then wants to go to the wedding of the people who made it possible for her to do this in the first place. That's difficult for her to accept. They're already spiraling and now the wedding is another thing that they have to fight about”.
The couple will reunite on July 4 when there is a break in Perry’s touring schedule, according to The Sun.
Neither Perry or Bloom have commented on the rumours about their relationship.
