Celebrity Couples Who Broke Up But Still Had to Work Together

Breaking up is hard to do, so it can suck if you run into an ex. But you know what’s even suckier? Having to see that person every day — at work. That’s what happened to these celeb couples. They may have met under a spotlight or in front of the camera but life goes on after relationships end and sometimes they have to continue to share the screen.

There’s a reason people suggest to not mix business with pleasure; it can come back to bite you. Because while some of these stars were able to make it work, others had to grin and bear it.

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Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco

The Big Bang co-stars who play total opposites kept their real life romance so private that no one knew they were together until after they split in 2009. Cuoco and Galecki are one of the few exceptions to the rule; they not only remained friends since but their professional relationship is so good, their on-screen characters are happily — and believably — married.

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Jennifer Carpenter and Michael C. Hall

The Dexter stars were married for two years but were better off after their breakup because they simply worked better as friends. It probably helped that they played on-screen siblings so nothing got too awkward post-divorce.

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Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev

They dated for three years but unlike in The Vampire Diaries, where their characters were the endgame, Dobrev and Somerhalder were not.

See more celebrity couples who called it quits recently.

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Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush

The two fell for one another during the first season of One Tree Hill and married two years later. But five months in, Bush ended things after learning Murray had been unfaithful (with his House of Wax co-star Paris Hilton, according to the rumour mill). CMM also started dating OTH extra Kenzie Dalton before his divorce from Bush was finalized. Unfortunately for Sophia, their characters were high school sweethearts and she had to play love-dovey with her ex for four more years. She should've gotten an Emmy.

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Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson

They kept their romance on the DL but as long as Joey ended up with Pacey, that's all that really mattered. (Sorry, Dawson. #notsorry). For more nostalgia-inducing pairings, check out '90s couples who need to get back together now.

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Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart

Bella and Sparkles were doing so well and making Twihards everywhere happy ... until K-Stew's shocking cheating scandal. They broke up, then reunited as a couple to do press for the final Twilight film, then split for good shortly after.

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Rachel Bilson and Adam Brody

The stars of The O.C. broke up after dating for three years, but still had to film their characters' wedding in the series finale. Yikes.

More pics: celebrity couples who will probably never get married.

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Diane Keaton and Al Pacino

Their on-and-off affair lasted for two decades, as they co-starred in the Godfather trilogy. She allegedly wanted to settle down, but he wasn't ready to say. 'I do', so they split.

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Charlize Theron and Sean Penn

Eight months into their relationship, Penn and Theron worked together on The Last Face (she was the star; he directed), and were engaged before Char called it quits (reportedly by ghosting him). A year after the split, they had to reunite to do press for the film in Cannes. Awk-ward!

Sounds like all these couples could use some advice from celeb couples who've stood the test of time.

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Blake Lively and Penn Badgley

The Gossip Girl couple dated for three years and broke up in the middle of the show's run. Their characters got married in the flash-forward series finale, so their characters still got their happy ending, and so did Badgley, who recently tied the knot this year.

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Sophia Bush and Austin Nichols

But Bush didn't learn her lesson. She dated Nichols on-and-off from 2006 to 2012. They dated before he was cast on One Tree Hill (Austin joined the show in 2008 to be closer to Sophia) and eventually ended things at the beginning of the final season, two and a half years later. Let's hope that Bush is a celeb who is way better off after a breakup.

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Nicholas Hoult and Jennifer Lawrence

These two were on-and-off during filming of the X-Men movies and while they were on a break, they had to promote Apocalypse — together. But their split was clearly amicable, unlike these messy celeb splits, because they got along just fine.

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Bella Hadid and The Weeknd

Unlike the other exes on the list, the model and singer didn't have constant run-ins — but they did have an awkward encounter at the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, filming of which took place mere weeks after their split.

We wonder if The Weeknd will have more awkward run-ins with his newest ex, Selena Gomez, from whom he recently called it quits.

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Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal

Stefani and Kanal were band members who dated in the early '90s, but he ended their relationship in 1994, inspiring Gwen to write No Doubt's arguably biggest hit, "Don't Speak." While the group are still on a break, it's uncertain whether that has to do with the exes. Whatever the case, Gwen has bounced back from the split and is making divorce look good.

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Michael Vartan and Jennifer Garner

Shortly after her divorce from Scott Foley, the Alias stars went public. While their romance didn't last, they stayed friendly and worked together until the show ended in 2006.

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Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak

The Office actors hooked up around the same time their characters did, and while Mindy and B.J. (and Mindy and Ryan) didn't last, they remained BFFs IRL. And just like these '90s couples, we'd love to see them get back together.

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Jennifer Morrison and Jesse Spencer

The House stars called off their engagement three months into their relationship. Morrison's run on the show lasted two-and-a-half more years while Spencer went all the way until the show wrapped.

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Jessica Szohr and Ed Westwick

This other Gossip Girl couple ended after rumours surfaced of Szohr's flirting. While they both continued on the show, thankfully their characters' paths rarely crossed.

See more: 19 ways to tell if your partner is cheating on you.

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Zach Roerig and Candice Accola

These two kept their relationship so low-pro, and while they split in May 2012, they continued to act alongside one another on The Vampire Diaries until its end.

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Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony

Max and Emme's parents surprised everyone when they called it quits after nearly eight years of marriage. And while they've both been involved with other people (in Jennifer's case, some notably younger ones), the two have not only remained business partners and co-stars but also perform together quite often. As amicable — and awesome — as it gets.