'It was not right. But it was beautiful': What Shailene Woodley recently said about her relationship with ex-fiancé Aaron Rodgers
Outside magazine went camping with actress, environmentalist — and Aaron Rodgers' ex-fiancée — Shailene Woodley to Leo Carrillo State Park in Malibu, California, earlier this year.
The stunning feature that came from it, which published this week, touched on several of Woodley's relationships. Her relationship with nature, the sea, the wild, conservation — and the one she had with the former Green Bay Packers quarterback, who now plays for the New York Jets.
News of Rodgers' and Woodley's relationship broke in 2021, though the two had gotten engaged "months and months" prior, in 2020. Fast-forward to February 2022, it came out that the couple had called off their engagement.
Over two years later, talking about the relationship still makes Woodley's eyes well up, Outside said.
“I haven’t shared much about my relationship with Aaron because it always makes me cry," she told the publication. "It was not right. But it was beautiful.”
During the camping trip, Woodley opened up about how she had "a really awful, traumatic thing happen in early 2022." While Woodley wasn't specific, that timing aligns with the Rodgers split, the outlet noted.
Woodley felt like she lost her soul, self, happiness and joy, she told Outside, and really understood depression, anxiety and complete soul detachment.
Empathetic "to a fault," Woodley said she remained in a "toxic situation" because she was empathizing with "someone else." That kept her in a loop of "feeling everything for everyone."
Back when In Touch Weekly first broke the breakup news, an insider reportedly told the outlet that, while Woodley was supportive of Rodgers' career, "he put football first and they were barely spending any time together."
“She felt he neglected their relationship. Neither of them was happy," the source was quoted saying. Sources also told In Touch that Rodgers "got cold feet" about getting married.
According to Outside, Woodley was in "the lowest low" of her life in the aftermath of the "really awful, traumatic thing." Her best friend, stylist Kris Zero, saved her, blasting music to get her out of bed and keeping her preoccupied with an array of activities. After about six months, the depression started to fade.
When the writer of the piece, Melissa Johnson, told Woodley that she met the love of her life at 39, Woodley, 33, said that gave her hope. One of Woodley's "biggest dreams" is to become a mom.
A look back at Aaron Rodgers' and Shailene Woodley's relationship
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rodgers and Woodley spent the COVID-19 pandemic getting close to one another. The two met through mutual musician friends, and moved in together months later.
They split their time between Green Bay and Los Angeles, with COVID-19 protocols and shutdowns making it easier to fly under the radar.
At the beginning of Feburary 2021, E! News broke the news that Rodgers and Woodley were in a long-distance relationship that they had kept "private and low-key."
"They have seen each other and been in touch," an insider told E! "They continue to talk and see each other when they can. They are both focused on their careers but they also make time for each other."
Days later, when Rodgers was giving his acceptance speech for his third NFL MVP award at a virtual NFL Honors presentation, he mentioned that he got engaged in 2020 and also thanked his fiancée. Though, he didn't mention her by name.
During an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" weeks later, Woodley confirmed that she was the fiancée and said the engagement had happened a while ago.
During their time together, the power couple traveled to Costa Careyes, Mexico; Hot Springs, Arkansas; the Kentucky Derby; Walt Disney World — where they had a lovefest, err interview, that went viral — and to Hawaii with actor Miles Teller and his wife, Keleigh. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Rodgers helped care for Woodley's dog, and Woodley helped Rodgers prepare to host "Jeopardy!"
In Touch reported the couple's split in February 2022, which was later confirmed by People.
"It was an amicable split; it just wasn't working," a source close to Rodgers told People. "They're very different people with busy careers and there were obstacles that they couldn't surmount. They will remain friendly; there's no bad blood and no drama. It just didn't work out for them."
That same month, when Rodgers accepted his fourth MVP award at NFL Honors, Woodley wasn't seated next to him at the ceremony, nor did he mention her in his speech.
Kendra Meinert of the Green Bay Press-Gazette contributed to this report.