Nothing stings quite like a breakup text. Especially when it comes moments before you step on stage in front of thousands of adoring fans.
Pop princess Katy Perry’s first marriage ended exactly like this.
The Firework singer tied the knot with comedian Russell Brand in 2010 after meeting just a year earlier. After a little over a year, the pair exchanged vows in India and remained married for just 14 months.
Their marriage infamously ended with a brutal text message Brand sent Perry on New Year’s Eve in 2011. In it, he reportedly informed the singer he was filing for divorce.
Watch the video above.
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In the eventual 2012 filing, the former couple cited “irreconcilable differences.”
Perry was in the middle of her California Dreams tour when her marriage to Brand went up in flames. Having been on the road for much of the year, she was reportedly blindsided by the news.
The heart-wrenching moment was documented in the singer’s documentary, Katy Perry: Part of Me.
Perry was filmed collapsing in tears just before she was due to arrive on stage. She was seen lying on a chair crying backstage as her team watched on in horror.
After only a few minutes, though, the devastated pop star wiped away her tears, put on a smile and performed for her fans.
According to a report in ENews!, Brand and Perry had been “drifting apart” for some time and hadn’t even spent Christmas together that year.
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The Hot N Cold singer had also spoken openly about the 10-year age difference between them and the fact that, while Brand wanted children during their relationship, she wasn’t ready.
Two years later in 2013, Perry recalled the breakdown of her marriage and re-affirmed that it ended with a text – which Brand has never publicly spoken about.
“He’s a very smart man, and I was in love with him when I married him,” she said.
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“Let’s just say I haven’t heard from him since he texted me saying he was divorcing me December 31, 2011.”
Brand would also later blame the demise of their relationship on Perry’s gruelling tour schedule.
“Katy was obviously very, very occupied and busy,” he told W Channel. “I was occupied and busy but not to the same degree.”
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Following the end of her California Dreams tour, which saw Perry cancel her New Year’s Day performance a day after the divorce news, the singer said she was crushed.
She spoke about how she coped in the aftermath of their split in an interview with Sunday Times.
“I was in bed for about two weeks. I was pretty f—ed, yes. It hurt a lot,” she admitted.
“My self-worth was in someone else’s hands which is never a good idea because it can be taken from you at any time.”
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During promotional interviews for her documentary in 2012, Perry didn’t shy away from the fact her divorce would be a big part of the narrative.
She admitted it would have been “strange” if she avoided the topic during the movie, which was a raw and honest account of her experience touring.
“Sometimes, you know, when there’s a problem, it’s not about the problem, it’s how you solve it,” she told ABC News in the US.
“And you can’t avoid an elephant in the room, of course.”
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“But I wanted to be very diligent and respectful about it. And hopefully, you know, people see that problem and they see me having that problem, they’re like, ‘Oh. Well, even she can’t dodge life’s curve balls. Even at that level.’
“And they can relate to me better. That’s what I want is, I want that human connection, especially with my fans.”
In the 12 years since Brand and Perry parted, they both have embarked on remarkably different trajectories.
Brand, who had since all but faded from the main Hollywood spotlight, married wife Lauren and the pair have two children.
In September 2023, Brand was accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse based on allegations aired in The Sunday Times, The Times of London and Channel 4’s Dispatches. Brand has denied the allegations.
Perry, meanwhile, has continued to release best-selling music, is engaged to actor Orlando Bloom and welcomed a daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom, in 2020.
The singer is open about her relationship with Bloom and often offers candid insights into the tougher moments of their romance.
“It’s rare to find someone that will go through the mud, you hear about the people that stay in it for a long time and you’re like, ‘what’s the secret’?” she told People TV in 2020.
“Some of the secret is just staying in it and going like, ‘I don’t like you right now but I will always love you’.”
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
