The couple, who met on the set of 2006’s ‘Step Up,’ announced their separation after eight years of marriage on Monday.
Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Tatum announced their separation after eight years of marriage on Monday, sharing the news in a joint Instagram statement.
"We have lovingly chosen to separate as a couple," the couple, both 37, wrote. "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."
Channing and Jenna first met as co-stars in the 2006 dance film Step Up and married in July 2009, welcoming their daughter, Everly, four years later. Here’s a look back at some of their biggest moments as a couple:
'Step Up'
The pair’s chemistry was instantaneous on the set of the 2006 Anne Fletcher-directed film, in which Jenna played a privileged modern dancer who fell in love with Channing’s character, a talented hip-hop dancer from the wrong side of the tracks.
Jenna recently shared the couple’s original audition tape for the film in support of the Step Up franchise’s newest installment -- Step Up: High Water, the YouTube show starring her World of Dance co-star Ne-Yo.
"Please watch how many times I giggle and I laugh. It's very cute," Jenna says in her commentary on the clip, in which her flirty vibes with her future husband are front and center. "It's very sentimental and amazing for me to watch."
Marriage
The couple wed on July 11, 2009, at Church Estates Vineyards in Malibu, California, though, according to Channing, the big day almost never happened, thanks to his “cruel” proposal idea.
“When I proposed to my wife, I did something pretty cruel because I thought she was on to me. I basically told her I never wanted to get married to try to throw her off,” he revealed on BBC’s Radio One’s “Breakfast Show” with Nick Grimshaw last August.
“I told her, ‘I don’t believe in the institution of marriage and I don’t think I ever want to get married.’ She basically broke down crying. I thought, ‘This is not going well at all,’ so I had to propose to her sooner rather than later.”
Last year, the couple celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary by going off the grid at a wilderness camp in Michigan, ditching their phones and internet service in favor of quality time together.
"The first day, you're fiending. You're like, 'I need to know my emails!'” Jenna told Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest on a Live! appearance after the trip. "And then one day, I was like, 'I'm going to go take a walk,' and Chan was like, 'Yeah, I'm going to take a walk, too. We ended up at the internet café. I was like, 'I know where you were. I see you!'"
Everly
Channing and Jenna welcomed their first child, daughter Everly, on May 31, 2013, in London, England.
While the pair have been very private about their daughter’s life so far, rarely showing photos of her face on social media, they’ve never been shy about showing off their love for their little girl, whether it’s a sweet shot of Everly with her pet goat, or the aftermath of their “little tyrant fairy artist” painting their faces.
In May 2016, Channing shared a photo to Instagram of Jenna holding their baby girl shortly after she was born.
“Saw this quote today -- ‘The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. Theodore Hesburgh,’” he captioned the black-and-white photo. “There are a lot of important things in being a father. Who knows what the most important thing is? All I know is that in my case this is pretty high on my list. Love you cake!”
Last August, the Magic Mike star opened up to ET about trying to impress his daughter with his star status.
"I've never worked so hard to, like, make a girl like me and fail," he joked. "I was like, 'Please, please, just please love me, please just love me!'"
'Lip Sync Battle'
The couple fell in love while showing off their dance moves in Step Up, but it turns out they had even more talents up their sleeve! When Channing and Jenna squared off on Lip Sync Battle back in January 2016, they brought their competitive spirit and their A-game to a showdown that would instantly go down as a classic.
The episode kicked off with impressive performances, including Channing’s rendition of the Frozen hit “Let It Go” (in full Elsa costume) and Jenna’s stripped-down Magic Mike-inspired performance of Ginuwine’s “Pony,” but it was Channing’s final number that truly stopped the show.
The Hateful Eight star went all-out for his lip sync of Beyonce’s “Run the World (Girls),” donning the diva’s strapless black bra and gold choker to perform the dance moves. But the crowd, Jenna, and hosts LL Cool J and Chrissy Teigen went wild when Queen Bey herself crashed the stage to close out the number!
“I cannot believe that just happened!” Jenna exclaimed after the dance. “I’m freaking out.”
“She is not OK right now,” Channing said with a laugh, as his wife collapsed with excitement.
The couple were crowned the first-ever Lip Sync Battle co-champions after the epic stunt, but really, we were all winners.
Signs of Trouble
In February, Jenna gave a candid interview in Health magazine, admitting that her marriage to Channing wasn't "perfect" and that the couple had days where they "don't really like each other."
"When people say, 'You guys have such a perfect life,' I want to scream and tell them, 'No one's perfect,'" she said. "I think there are such things as great fits. It is a great fit as long as you are growing together, and I think up until this point we've really grown together. Even if one starts to grow, the other catches up and vice versa."
"But I think a couple needs to be conscious and to want to do the work and be willing to look at the parts of you that need work," she continued. "Both of us have been pretty aware and willing to do that. We’ve always had the same values. But we're not perfect! Are you kidding? We fight like other couples, we disagree about things, we have days where we don't really like each other."
Family Night Out
Still, the pair put on a happy face in public, even enjoying a family night out at the 2018 Kids' Choice Awards one week before announcing their separation. The appearance marked Everly’s first public event, as the 4-year-old supported her dad at Nickelodeon’s annual awards show.
Everly was spotted holding her mom's hand in the crowd while Channing had a funny onstage moment when he and his Small Foot co-stars, Zendaya and Yara Shahidi, promoted their new animated movie. She wore a super cute purple and green outfit, with a green bow in her hair, while Jenna sported a denim dress.
Separation
On Monday, the pair shared a joint statement on both of their Instagram pages, announcing their separation.
"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,” the statement read, in part. “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, Chan&Jenna."
See more the pair’s split in the video below.
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