While some relationships grew even stronger after spending 24 hours a day, seven days a week together, plenty of other celebrity romances imploded.
As Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich become the latest A-list casualties of love lost in lockdown, we look back at the couples who couldn’t overcome all that time spent together.
Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich
The US Dancing With The Stars alumna filed for divorce from her Canadian former-NHL player husband on November 3, six months after they announced their separation on May 29.
Suspicions were raised when Hough began quarantining separately from her husband of three years in March – she in California and him in Idaho.
Demi Lovato and Max Ehrich
The romance that went from zero to 60 in under 0.3 seconds fizzled out just as fast as it heated up in September. The relationship between the singer and the Under The Dome actor began in May, and he soon popped the question with a $1 million diamond ring in June.
However in the space of a few months, Lovato went from, “I knew I loved you from the moment I met you” to “quarantine either makes or breaks the deal.”
Armie Hammer and Elizabeth Chambers
The Rebecca actor and his bakery entrepreneur wife called it quits in July after 10 years of marriage. Having quarantined in the Cayman Islands together, along with their two children, the moment lockdown finished, Hammer jetted back to the US alone.
"I don't think I handled it very well," he told GQ. "I think, to be frank, I came very close to completely losing my mind."
Cardi B and Offset
Nearly three years after Cardi and Offset wed, the mum-of-one filed for divorce on September 15. However, according to Page Six, Cardi B has had yet another change of heart and petitioned to dismiss her divorce on Monday, November 2.
"You know how I be arguing with y'all on social media? That's exactly how we are, between me and my man," the WAP rapper told her Instagram followers in October.
Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock
Singer-turned-talk show host, Clarkson filed for divorce from her husband in June, after almost seven years together. The pair had been quarantining in Montana with their two children, River Rose, 6, and Remington, 4, before Clarkson filed in LA.
She’s been working on new music that she says will address the split.
Sofia Richie and Scott Disick
Breaking up in May after almost three years together, the model and the reality TV star split after Disick’s most recent stint in rehab where he sought treatment for “past traumas”.
Scott, who has three children with his ex Kourtney Kardashian, is said to have moved back in with her to continue quarantining with them.
Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse
The Riverdale co-stars called it quits in March at the start of lockdown, their second split and this time their final one.
"What an incredible experience I had," the former Disney star wrote on his Instagram. "I wish her nothing but the utmost love and happiness." Following the break-up, Sprouse opted to quarantine with his Riverdale co-star, KJ Apa, who plays Archie in the hit show.
Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green
After a very public split and reconciliation back in 2015, the couple, who share three sons, confirmed in May that their marriage was over for good. While Fox moved onto a new romance with actor and singer, Machine Gun Kelly, Green insisted, “I will always love her, and I know she will always love me.”
However, the pair recently had an Instagram fall-out after Green posted a photo of their son, Journey, prompting Fox to comment: "I know you love your kids. But I don't know why you can't stop using them to posture via social media."
Miley Cyrus and Cody Simpson
Following her split from her actor husband Liam Hemsworth, Cyrus began dating another Australian, this time singer, Cody Simpson.
However, the couple called it quits in August with Cyrus saying of her next relationship: “I’m super into clean eating. I mean, people taking care of themselves. I knew that the place to meet my next partner was not going to be at Burger King.”
Taraji P Henson and Kelvin Hayden
Hidden Figures actress Henson had previously postponed her summer wedding to former NFL player Kelvin Hayden back in April.
But the star revealed in October that the postponement had become a cancellation, and that after two years together, they had called it quits.
Olivier Sarkozy and Mary-Kate Olsen
The businessman half-brother of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his actress-turned-designer wife, Olsen split dramatically back in May. Olsen lodged an emergency divorce petition in New York, which stated: “This is… an emergency because my husband expects me to move out of our home… in the middle of New York City being on pause due to Covid-19.”
However, the plea was rejected as an “emergency” due to the pandemic and she re-filed after restrictions were lifted.
Jay Cutler and Kristin Cavallari
The couple was holidaying in the Bahamas when the first lockdown came into force. But when the family returned to Nashville, The Hills star filed for divorce from her former NFL quarterback husband of seven years, announcing it on Instagram in April.
Although she called the split a “loving conclusion”, things soon went south, with the mum-of-three claiming in her petition that “he attempted to intimidate” her into a parenting plan she did not agree to.
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Read more:
Singer Demi Lovato steps out in shoes by Jordanian designer Amina Muaddi
From Adele to Miley Cyrus, here are nine artists delaying their albums due to Covid-19
Listen to Kelly Clarkson sing in Arabic thanks to her new single
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
if you go
The flights
Fly to Rome with Etihad (www.etihad.ae) or Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dh2,480 return including taxes. The flight takes six hours. Fly from Rome to Trapani with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) from Dh420 return including taxes. The flight takes one hour 10 minutes.
The hotels
The author recommends the following hotels for this itinerary. In Trapani, Ai Lumi (www.ailumi.it); in Marsala, Viacolvento (www.viacolventomarsala.it); and in Marsala Del Vallo, the Meliaresort Dimore Storiche (www.meliaresort.it).
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Sunday's fixtures
- Bournemouth v Southampton, 5.30pm
- Manchester City v West Ham United, 8pm
INDIA SQUADS
India squad for third Test against Sri Lanka
Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar
India squad for ODI series against Sri Lanka
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Company profile
Name: The Concept
Founders: Yadhushan Mahendran, Maria Sobh and Muhammad Rijal
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 7
Sector: Aviation and space industry
Funding: $250,000
Future plans: Looking to raise $1 million investment to boost expansion and develop new products
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
PULITZER PRIZE 2020 WINNERS
JOURNALISM
Public Service
Anchorage Daily News in collaboration with ProPublica
Breaking News Reporting
Staff of The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.
Investigative Reporting
Brian M. Rosenthal of The New York Times
Explanatory Reporting
Staff of The Washington Post
Local Reporting
Staff of The Baltimore Sun
National Reporting
T. Christian Miller, Megan Rose and Robert Faturechi of ProPublica
and
Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb of The Seattle Times
International Reporting
Staff of The New York Times
Feature Writing
Ben Taub of The New Yorker
Commentary
Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times
Criticism
Christopher Knight of the Los Angeles Times
Editorial Writing
Jeffery Gerritt of the Palestine (Tx.) Herald-Press
Editorial Cartooning
Barry Blitt, contributor, The New Yorker
Breaking News Photography
Photography Staff of Reuters
Feature Photography
Channi Anand, Mukhtar Khan and Dar Yasin of the Associated Press
Audio Reporting
Staff of This American Life with Molly O’Toole of the Los Angeles Times and Emily Green, freelancer, Vice News for “The Out Crowd”
LETTERS AND DRAMA
Fiction
"The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday)
Drama
"A Strange Loop" by Michael R. Jackson
History
"Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America" by W. Caleb McDaniel (Oxford University Press)
Biography
"Sontag: Her Life and Work" by Benjamin Moser (Ecco/HarperCollins)
Poetry
"The Tradition" by Jericho Brown (Copper Canyon Press)
General Nonfiction
"The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care" by Anne Boyer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
and
"The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America" by Greg Grandin (Metropolitan Books)
Music
"The Central Park Five" by Anthony Davis, premiered by Long Beach Opera on June 15, 2019
Special Citation
Ida B. Wells
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
