Friends star Matthew Perry has revealed his engagement to Molly Hurwitz is over.
The actor – who just days ago appeared in the long-awaited Friends reunion – said in a statement to People: “Sometimes things just don’t work out and this is one of them.”
Perry, 51, added: “I wish Molly all the best.”
The couple had reportedly started dating in 2018 and announced their engagement last year, with Perry calling talent manager and producer Hurwitz, 29, “the greatest woman on the face of the planet”.
Perry, who has talked about his struggles with addiction over the years, has never been married before – which in itself is quite uncommon for a Hollywood star, especially one in their 50s (by which point many of his peers are on spouse number two, three or four!). He was previously in a long-term relationship with fellow actor Lizzy Caplan of Mean Girls and Masters Of Sex fame.
In a world obsessed with other people’s relationships (especially celebrity ones), there’s something refreshing about the simplicity of Perry’s statement.
Of course, we don’t really know anything of the ins and outs of his and Hurwitz’s relationship or the circumstances behind the break-up (and we’re not here to speculate; it’s really not our business).
But generally speaking, celebrity or otherwise, isn’t it true that ‘sometimes things just don’t work out’? We’re so primed to pin blame, or label people as victims or villains in break-up scenarios. What if walking away from a relationship wasn’t always framed as a ‘failure’ or a sign of ‘fault’?
Fellow Friends star Jennifer Aniston certainly knows what it’s like to have your love life constantly scrutinised; for years after her break-up with Brad Pitt, she was branded ‘unlucky in love’ and ‘heartbroken’. Frankly, that’s a lazy, limiting narrative and one we hope can be left in the past. Aniston is gorgeous, successful and brilliant – her relationship status certainly does not define her, and neither should it define anyone else.
Lots of marriages end in divorce – and while there shouldn’t be any stigma about that either, tying the knot is often very expensive, as is divorce a lot of the time, not to mention stressful. So, is it a good idea to go through with it, if your relationship isn’t really in a healthy place?
Calling it quits on a relationship can be very hard, and we can only imagine how that feels when you’re under the glare of the spotlight. But sometimes it’s the healthiest thing.
