The ‘Seven Year Itch’ Might Be Real, at Least According to These Celeb Breakups
Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello announced their split to Page Six yesterday, stating, “We have made the difficult decision to divorce.”
“As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect of our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives,” they said in a joint statement.
Of course, like many fans, we are absolutely shook. What could have gone wrong? These two weren’t just the epitome of “too hot to handle” (move over, Netflix). They also had a tremendous amount of fun together.
As Manganiello himself once described to Men’s Health, “My life is great because I really like my wife.”
“I like talking to her. I like goofing around with her. We f**king laugh all day long every day. My favorite thing in the world is making my wife laugh so much she cries,” he explained to the outlet.
Meanwhile, although Vergara once doubted getting together with Manganiello because he was “too handsome,” she eventually took the plunge. As she later wrote on Instagram, he became “the husband [she] always dreamed of” in November 2015.
While the couple had a love story for the books, full of binge-watching “Game of Thrones” and cheering on the Pittsburgh Steelers, they sadly called it quits. But why? Some research indicates it may just be a result of something called the “seven-year itch.”
What is the seven-year itch in relationships?
As per Psychology Today, the “seven-year itch” in relationships is when couples begin to experience “restlessness” and “turbulence.” At least according to the theory, this occurs at the seven-year mark.
This also may be why some research indicates marriages that end in divorce average at around seven years. Clinical psychologist Adam Borland, PsyD told Cleveland Clinic: “While research outcomes vary somewhat, the percentage of divorces, particularly in first-time marriages, tends to spike around the seven or eight-year mark.”
Okay, so the seven-year itch could be a thing. It also may be the reason many couples start feeling doubtful about their relationship at this time. And yes, many people justify cheating on their partners with the “seven-year itch,” tracing it back to the 1955 Marilyn Monroe movie of the same name.
Psychology Today states that couples usually regroup at around seven years to “re-evaluate” if the relationship is working or not.
The theory has some scientific backing. In fact, according to the outlet, married couples usually experience a “honeymoon phase” right after tying the knot.
While that part is pure “infatuation,” the years after are more challenging — where couples are presented with day-to-day chores and responsibilities. If a sense of unhappiness reaches the seven-year mark, then couples may split.
Still, some research indicates that the “seven-year itch” may come at the four or five-year mark. Even more, sexologist Gigi Engl told Women’s Health: “The idea that you’d feel this way at some innocuous point in time is complete BS.” Well, okay then!
Every couple is different, and even if you do get the seven year itch, it doesn’t mean you will call it quits. As Dr. Borland explains, “Relationships can be saved and even strengthened if both partners are committed to putting in the necessary work”— even if feeling… well, quite itchy after seven years.
Still, there are a slew of celebrities that famously split after seven years, including Vergara and Manganiello. While the couple wed in November 2015, they announced their split this month after a seven-and-a-half-year marriage. Interesting.
1. Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon
Another couple that bit the dust at the seven-year mark? Mariah Carey, 54, and ex-husband Nick Cannon, 42.
According to Us Weekly, the couple wed on Carey’s estate in the Bahamas just six weeks after dating in April 2008. Cannon later said he proposed to the “We Belong Together” singer with a Ring Pop… that had an actual diamond ring inside of it.
The pair happily welcomed their twins, Moroccan and Monroe, 12, to the world in 2011.
However, in January 2015, Cannon announced that he filed for divorce from Carey. Yes, almost exactly seven years after their nuptials.
Still, Cannon might not be totally over it. Although he has had 10 more children with five women after his separation from Carey, the “Wild ‘n Out” star told “The Shade Room” this year she was his “greatest” love.
“I was 12 years old with Mariah Carey pictures on my wall, and that becomes my wife,” he said in the interview.
“When I found that out about how remarkable she was, that woman is not human. She’s a gift from God.”
On Carey’s side post-split, she told Entertainment Tonight, “He’s a good guy. It’s not that hard to make it work. Now we can laugh, and joke, and do the good parts of when we had a relationship.”
2. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony
Another couple that (sort of) got the seven-year itch bug? None other than Jennifer Lopez, 53, and her ex-hubby Marc Anthony, 54.
The two singers first met in 1998 and reportedly dated briefly. By 1999, the two collaborated on the song “No Me Ames,” which you probably listened to in the car when your mom picked you up from dance class (just us? Okay).
The two got back together in 2004 and married in June at Lopez’s house in Los Angeles.
Lopez told PEOPLE then, “When you find that person who doesn’t run when things get hard – I think that’s where Marc proved to me that he was more of a man than anything I had experienced.”
The married couple starred in the Héctor Lavoe biopic “El Cantante” together in 2006, and by February 2008, gave birth to their twins Emme and Max.
However, the two announced their split in July 2011… almost exactly seven years after their wedding.
“We have decided to end our marriage. This was a very difficult decision,” they said in a joint statement.
Lopez later explained to W, “I hung in there for seven years… I knew very quickly that it wasn’t the right thing.”
What is this seven-year itch sorcery?
3. Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef
Well, things are getting sort of… weird. Ricky Martin, 51, recently announced his split from his Syrian-born Swedish painter husband Jwan Yosef, 38. They fell in love back in 2016… and yes, separated seven years later just this month.
Martin posted on Instagram, “We have decided to end our marriage with love, respect, and dignity for our children.” They have two children together: Lucia, born in 2018, and Renn, born in 2019.
The couple were as romantic as it gets, with Martin explaining on “The Ellen Show” in November 2016 that they met through their love of art.
“I saw his art and I went crazy because I really love what he does. Really original. And I contacted him,” he explained.
Months later, Martin traveled to London to finally meet Yosef. As per Hello!, the “Tu Recuerdo” singer said he experienced love at first sight: “When I met my husband, I saw him and said, ‘I’m going to get married.’”
Months later, Martin traveled to London to finally meet Yosef. Hello! claims the “Tu Recuerdo” singer said he experienced love at first sight: “When I met my husband, I saw him and said, ‘I’m going to get married.’”
Yosef later talked about their relationship to My Kali Mag: “The truth is, he’s Puerto Rican, I’m Arab, our families are very much alike: we’re loud, all over the place, we’re in each other’s business.”
The seven-year itch strikes again. But why?!
4. Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman
Another couple that may attribute to their split to the seven-year itch is Christina Aguilera, 42, and her music producer ex-husband Jordan Bratman, 46.
According to InStyle, the two met in 2002 when Aguilera traveled to Atlanta to work on her album. The two hit it off, and Bratman decided to move to Los Angeles where Aguilera lived.
“After Jordy moved we became joined at the hip,” she reportedly said.
Bratman proposed to the “Beautiful” singer days before Valentine’s Day in February 2005.
Aguilera described the engagement to PEOPLE: “He got down on one knee and said, ‘Will you do me the honor of being my wife?’ I’ve been floating ever since.”
The happy couple were married in November 2005 in a Napa Valley vineyard ceremony, and gave birth to their son Max Liron Bratman in January 2008.
The singer also explained to PEOPLE in 2007 how romantic her then-husband was to her. “I’ll come in the room and there will be balloons everywhere and a card and my favorite chocolates all around,” she described at the time.
However, the two separated in September 2010 and filed for divorce just one month later. By April 2011, the two finalized their divorce.
As per Bustle, Aguilera said about their split, “I couldn’t face living another five years together and feeling that I wasted that time being unhappy.”
Sounds like the two regrouped and re-evaluated where they stood… about seven years later. Although the two divorced after six years of marriage, the moment they met up until their eventual separation spanned around eight years.
Not exactly a seven-year itch— but extremely close.
5. Becky G and Sebastian Lletget
Last but not least, we had to include Becky G, 26, and Sebastian Lletget, 30… although we still have no confirmation about their (probable) breakup.
As you probably know, the “Mayores” singer and her FC Dallas soccer player fiancé landed in rough waters this year. After Lletget was accused of cheating on Becky G, he took to Instagram to post a lengthy apology.
In March 2023, Lletget admitted in a since-deleted IG post to a “lapse in judgement.” He said he went “right up to the very boundaries of lines that should never be crossed,” writing directly to Becky G, “I am so sorry.”
While the two were engaged in December 2022 in their favorite “spot forever,” Becky G later appeared on red carpets without her engagement ring.
The two met back in 2016 after being set up the “old-fashioned way” by mutual friends. Becky G explained to Mega 96.3 in 2017, “The way we got introduced, me and Sebastian, was through my [“Power Rangers”] costar Naomi [Scott].”
Lletget later told the U.S. Men’s National Team, “I like the way we met because it’s different from how it works with most people nowadays.”
The “Sin Pijama” singer later wrote on Instagram that their first date was “under the moon” talking about their “dreams” while eating sushi.
“Everything we talked about on that date we are now doing or working towards,” she said. “I adore that you are a man of your word. That you are a man with ambition.”
While fans swooned at their engagement and then scratched their heads at those cheating rumors, no one knows exactly where the two stand today.
However, if they did split after the cheating rumors, that means they parted ways seven years after meeting in 2016.
