Looking back at her "darkest" time. Shailene Woodley reflected on her "violating" public relationship with Aaron Rodgers in a rare interview following their February 2022 split.
“It honestly never really hit me that millions of people around the world were actually watching these things and paid attention to them. Then, I dated somebody in America who was very, very famous,” the Spectacular Now actress, 31, told Porter magazine in an interview released on Monday, January 23. “It was the first time that I’d had a quote-unquote ‘famous’ relationship, and I watched [the] scrutiny, opinions, the desire for people to know my life and his life and our life."
Shailene went on to explain that her relationships before dating the NFL star, 39, were "fun," but this one didn't feel that way.
"I’m a very private person, and so I found that any time I posted anything, I instantly felt like I was sharing too much of who I am with people I didn’t necessarily trust," she added.
The former flames kept their relationship out of the public eye until the Green Bay Packers star confirmed their engagement in February 2021. Shailene then spoke candidly about finding love with the athlete during "this whacky, whacky time," referring to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I didn’t really grow up with sports, especially American sports,” she shared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at the time. “It was never really on my radar. When we met, also, I knew he was a football guy, but I didn’t know like what kind of a football guy he was. And I’m still constantly learning.”
A year later, In Touch confirmed the news of their split.
“While Shailene is supportive of Aaron’s career, he put football first and they were barely spending any time together,” a source shared at the time. “She felt he neglected their relationship. Neither of them was happy.”
A second insider revealed that Shailene and Aaron just “couldn’t make it work," adding, “There were too many obstacles. They’re both adults and decided to part amicably.”
Will they both stayed quiet about the breakup, Shailene told Porter that it was one of the "darkest" and "hardest" times of her life.
"It was winter in New York, and my personal life was shitty, so it felt like a big pain bubble for eight months,” the actress recalled, referring to her role in the forthcoming series Three Women. “I was so grateful that at least I could go to work and cry and process my emotions through my character.”
