ET is looking back at the sweet things the couple said about each other prior to the reported split.
From gushing about how they’ve opened each other’s eyes to the world and inspired the pursuit of “excellence,” to the early challenges of getting to know each other on Riverdale, ET is looking back at some of the sweet things Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse said during their romance after news broke on Monday that the couple had called it quits.
The pair, who play onscreen couple Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones on Riverdale, have gone their separate ways, according to multiple reports.
The news comes more than two years after rumors of romance started swirling after Sprouse posted a gorgeous photo of Reinhart sitting amid a field of yellow flowers in May 2017.
While the actors remained tight-lipped about whether they were an item, they were photographed kissing in Paris, France, in April 2018 and seemingly confirmed they were an item by attending the 2018 Met Gala together the following month. At the time, Reinhart told ET that it felt “amazing” to attend the glitzy event with Sprouse and she later posted a photo from the shindig on social media, appearing to make them Instagram official.
In August 2018, Reinhart gushed about how much Sprouse had impacted her life in a loving Instagram tribute to him on his birthday.
“It seems as if the world would still be a stranger to me, if not for you,” she captioned a photo of Sprouse sitting on a yellow wall pointing at the camera. “I’m so thankful that our paths intertwined to form this beautiful adventure~ Happy birthday, my love.”
She further explained how Sprouse had helped open her eyes to the world during an interview with Teen Vogue in October 2018.
“I like to go on adventures with Cole,” said Reinhart, who took Sprouse home for Thanksgiving last November. “Truly, adventures. He takes me to places where I’m like, ‘How did you find this?’ He’s made me see these things that I would have never seen otherwise. It’s escapism, which is so beautiful and wonderful.”
Around the same time, Reinhart discussed Sprouse’s love for photography and the inspiration behind their often “intimate” shoots. She had frequently been a model and muse for Sprouse.
"I think he is such an incredible photographer,” she told Who What Wear. “Sometimes he's inspired by a location, and he's like, 'I want to shoot you here. Other times, I'm inspired by a dress, and I’m like, 'I want you to shoot me in this.' Our photo shoots are very intimate, just him and me; no one else is there ever."
“Cole is the smartest person that I’m friends with,” Reinhart added in a video about friendship for Glamour. “He’s incredibly passionate about art, about photography and about acting and I really admire that.”
In the same video, Sprouse opened up about how it was difficult getting to know Reinhart during the early stages of Riverdale and shared how she had pushed him to excel in everything he pursues.
“Lily was a tough egg to crack,” he said. “She’s very shy at first and reserved. I think it was about halfway into the first season that she started letting people in truly. And she’s one of those people who consistently pushes me to be better at the arts that I’m pursuing and that’s just the kind of person she is. She inspires excellence out of everybody she works with.”
“You are by nature a caretaker and an extremely nurturing person,” he added when asked to compliment Reinhart. “You just want to make people feel better and help people get through whatever they’re getting through and I think that’s a really admirable quality in someone.”
Although it may have been challenging to get to know her in the beginning, Sprouse told the Los Angeles Times in March that as they started to bond, "We legitimately could not stay away from one another."
In March, Reinhart also praised Sprouse as he celebrated the release of his film, Five Feet Apart.
"I am so in awe of @colesprouse and @haleyluhoo for their work in this film," she wrote, before alluding to the toll that Riverdale co-star Luke Perry's death had taken on the two. "The last few days have been hard on all of us... and this film touches you in a way that makes you feel incredibly grateful to be with the people you love. I can’t express enough how moved I was by @fivefeetapartfilm -- I can’t wait for the world to see it."
As for being notoriously private about their relationship, Sprouse told GQ in February that “it’s not something that we hide, or it’s not something that we show off.”
“I think it’s just that I’m so protective over it,” Reinhart said in her earlier interview with Who What Wear. “It’s not something the world needs to know about, because if you give them anything, they are just going to want more. I’m not going to hide away from my relationship or hide away from what’s going on in my life, but what does happen in my relationship is so private, and I cherish it a lot. He does as well. A relationship is a very intimate thing, and I want it to be between me and him, not me, him, and the world.”
However, that didn’t stop Reinhart from publicly wishing Sprouse a happy Valentine’s Day in February.
The actress took to Instagram to share a photo of the two lovingly gazing into each other’s eyes. "You make me very happy," she wrote alongside the photo. "Happy Valentine's Day, my love."
So what kind of romantic gestures might Sprouse have made on days like Valentine’s Day? The actor talked to Glamour in March about the most romantic thing he has done for Reinhart.
"I really like the road-trip date,” he said. “I took my girlfriend on a date where we drove to this location deep into Canada, and I surprised her with a big hot-air balloon adventure, which was quite a bit of fun. I like traveling quite a bit. I like road-tripping. Those grand experiences always end up yielding the greatest memories -- and the greatest romances."
"I'm not really the type of person that likes going to a movie and sitting in silence," he added. "Maybe a little breaking and entering! Some photography! Who knows?"
See more on Reinhart and Sprouse below.
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