What Really Happened Between Charlize Theron And Stuart Townsend?

Is love even real? Following Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend's breakup in 2010, that's a question many fans were left wondering.

Back in 2002, Theron and Townsend had their first encounter after meeting on the set of the movie "Trapped." But even though the two began dating shortly after, let's just say it wasn't love at first sight for these two. When the two were doing one of the first reads for the movie, Townsend revealed to Irish America that he thought Theron was a "mad lady with [her] dog" at work. It didn't take long, though, for Townsend's opinion of Theron to change after the two went to dinner with the movie's cast. "She just looked like a million dollars," Townsend further explained. "That night we had so much fun. I was just smitten after that."

From there, the two dated for the next eight years, even going as far as to say the two were "married" to one another — though not legally. That's why when the two announced they were going their separate ways in 2010, per the Daily Mail, fans couldn't wrap their heads around what went wrong between what looked like the perfect pair.

Despite keeping their relationship in the headlines, for Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend, when it came to their breakup, that certainly wasn't the case. In fact, the two worked hard to keep their breakup under wraps. 

In 2010, rumors began swirling that the two had split after Theron was seen at an event without her ring. Though the two were never officially married, Theron wore the ring to symbolize her and Townsend's commitment to one another, per Extra. From there, during a holiday vacation to Mexico, Theron called it quits with Townsend. "Stuart is gutted but Charlize said that she realized during the Mexican holiday that the relationship was over," sources explained, per the Daily Mail. "They had become more like brother and sister than lovers. It was she who ended it."

While the two kept the breakup private, Theron spoke out a year later explaining that when her and Townsend's relationship was on the rocks, she had taken on fewer acting roles in an attempt to fix their relationship. "It was sinking, and I had to give it a fight," Theron told Vogue (via InStyle). "I really wanted to try and make it work. That was the priority. I wouldn't do it any different way."

Despite breaking up, Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend always looked fondly on their time spent together.

In an interview during the pair's relationship, Theron told Oprah that Townsend was "the best thing that's ever happened to me" and that their relationship taught her a different type of love. "I've been in love before. But have I ever been with somebody who I really, truly felt had my back and was my best friend? No, not until Stuart," Theron told Vogue Magazine. And that statement seems to still ring true. Following their breakup in 2010, Theron hasn't been in a long-term relationship since. Theron went on to date Sean Penn following Townsend, but since their split in 2015, hasn't been in a relationship, she explained to Drew Barrymore. 

Townsend on the other hand began dating Agatha Araya. While the pair's relationship is kept under wraps, the two made headlines back in 2019 after Townsend was arrested following a domestic violence dispute, per The Irish Sun. While Townsend didn't face any charges following the incident, since then, the two have gone ultra-private with their relationship. But despite his rocky relationship since dating Theron, Townsend looks back on his time with Theron fondly. "We had a great time, we had a great adventure, that's all I can say," he told the Irish Independent.