By Jessica Wedemeyer
8:06pm PDT, Apr 14, 2023
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Take a look back at the stars who found love, suffered heartbreak or experienced some other major event in their love lives in early April 2023, starting with this pair…
On the April 4 episode of "The Howard Stern Show," Brooke Shields opened up about her disastrous first and only date with John F. Kennedy Jr. when their paths crossed in Aspen, Colorado, early in her career. "I was so madly in love with him. Since the time I was like 3, my mom would say, 'That's the boy you're going to marry,'" she revealed, noting that they "went out" after she was invited to spend time with his famous family while she was in town for a wedding.
"He kept saying I looked like his mother, which was really interesting — and a compliment! — but it was also like, 'I don't know how to feel about this.' And then we did have a real date, and I wouldn't sleep with him because I just kinda loved him too much," she recalled, adding that she "froze" when they went back to his hotel by themselves after hitting up a bar with his family. "He, like, kissed me, and it was like the best kiss I've ever had in my life. … It was so precious to me, and I was like, 'Oh my God, you're falling in love, and if you sleep with him, he may not talk to you again and you can't handle that.' … I wasn't playing a game. I really was just so afraid of being really hurt because if I slept with him, I would've given him my entire universe — my heart, my everything," she explained.
As their date came to an end, John-John made Brooke hail her own cab, which she described as "a little less than chivalrous." Worse yet, when they ran into each other on the ski slopes the next day, he "didn't talk" to her — which confirmed her suspicions that he would have ignored her after they slept together. "He showed his true colors in that," she said.
Still, the former child star described their encounter as "beyond not disappointing," and gushed of John-John, "The lips are beautiful, and the face is amazing, and the body — and the person! And he was down-to-earth and funny and irreverent."
She went on to marry Andre Agassi in the late '90s before finding true love with second husband Chris Henchy.
Keep reading for more big celeb love life updates…
MORE: Stars who've dated members of political families
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On April 5, reps for Reese Witherspoon and Tom Brady officially shut down reports that the Oscar winner and the football star are dating in the wake of their respective breakups. (In late March 2023, Reese released a statement announcing that she and second husband Jim Toth are throwing in the towel, while Tom and Gisele Bundchen finalized their divorce in October 2022.) According to a People magazine source, Reese and Tom haven't even met (yet). Deux Moi reported a few days earlier that, according to multiple anonymous sources, the duo recently connected and could be "in the beginning stages of dating." Deux Moi later doubled down on their reporting, noting that Tom and Reese may not have met in person yet, but that doesn't mean they aren't "talking."
MORE: Celebs who've dated professional football players
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For months now, there have been whispers online that Khloe Kardashian and her off-and-on love of several years, Tristan Thompson, have quietly reconciled following their 2021 split amid a cheating scandal. On April 5, however, Us Weekly reported that they aren't back together (yet). According to a source, the reality star has "made it clear" that a romantic reconciliation is off the table, though the professional basketball player "hasn't completely given up hope" she'll change her mind. "He knows they're always going to be in each other's lives because of their [two] children. But that doesn't mean he hasn't been trying. At this point, he feels like all he can do is be the best father to their kids that he can and show Khloe over time that he's there for their family. He is so happy he was able to find a home right around the corner from them because they're his priority. He just wants to be there for his kids," the source said.
MORE: Notorious celeb cheating scandals
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During an interview with The New York Times that debuted online on April 4, Hayden Panettiere indicated that she and her off-and-on love of several years, Brian Hickerson, are giving it another go after he pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring her during a physical altercation back in the summer of 2020 and then spent 13 days behind bars in 2021. "There are feelings there, yes," the former child star told the Gray Lady, adding that her relationship with Brian, who's now sober, is "contingent on him continuing on this road of recovery." The actress — who's struggled with addiction issues herself — also noted of the repercussions for her back-on beau's past misdeeds, "He knows he deserved what happened to him." As for her decision to give him another shot… "I did not do any of this lightly," she said. (The New York Times reportedly overheard Hayden calling Brian "babe" several times during their interview with the "Heroes" alum.)
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In other Kardashian clan reconciliation news… On April 4, Us Weekly reported that, according to a source, Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott have "an amazing bond and are still best friends," though "they're not together" anymore in a romantic sense — in spite of recent speculation that they might have reconciled following their late 2022 split. "They have an open line of communication and a remarkable co-parenting relationship. They've always made sure their [two] kids know that they're both there for them at all times and that will never change. Everybody knows that Kylie and Travis have had their ups and downs over the years, but they have deep respect and admiration for each other no matter what," the source said.
MORE: Couples who split and later reconciled
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Blinked and you missed it! On April 4 — less than three weeks after Rupert Murdoch and Ann Lesley Smith got engaged — Vanity Fair reported that they called it quits after he became "increasingly uncomfortable with [her] outspoken evangelical views." A DailyMail.com source, meanwhile, called the April 3 breakup a "mutual decision." Said a friend of the former couple, "She just could not cope with being in the public eye. They sat down and talked yesterday and agreed it was better for them to part. He accepts that he will always be in the public eye and there is nothing he can or would do to change that." Said a second DailyMail.com source, "He admires her, respects her and thinks she is an amazing woman. He loves the fact she is so calm and so strong… and she shares his religious convictions." It would've been the media mogul's fifth marriage following his divorce from wife No. 4, Jerry Hall, in the summer of 2022.
MORE: Celeb engagements of 2023
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On April 5 — less than a month after Chris Appleton confirmed speculation that he and Lukas Gage are an item — multiple media outlets reported that the celebrity hairstylist and the "You" and "The White Lotus" actor are engaged. According to People magazine, the proposal went down "a few weeks ago," though it's unclear which of the two men popped the question. Said one People source, "Friends in their circle are definitely shocked at how quick it happened, but they're happy for them. They seem like the real deal." Said a second People source, "Chris has been looking for something real for a long time. This has moved fast but he is dazzled by Lukas."
MORE: Stars who identify as members of the LGBTQIA+ community
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It's official! On April 4, Kate Bosworth and Justin Long took to Instagram to confirm recent reports they're engaged. "These things are funny to announce. How to do this right? He's going the distance? I've got a Blue Crush? He's just THAT into me? I've won a date with…??? Ok you get it! … If life is short, find the one who brings you endless peace and radical wonder. @justinlong I am so grateful it's you," the "Blue Crush" actress wrote, referencing several of their biggest movie projects while captioning a slideshow of photos with her "future husband." Justin, meanwhile, captioned a slideshow of photos with his future missus, "She said YES… I feel eternally grateful that I found a partner who makes each day SO full, whose mere presence IS a reminder of the beauty and brevity of life, and who makes me laugh from the minute we wake up til the one I begrudgingly fall asleep. I cherish the days we've had and the ones to come."
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In an April 4 profile of Elle Fanning, Harper's Bazaar UK confirmed rumors that the former child star and actor-filmmaker Max Minghella recently called it quits. "I'm a hopeless romantic. I believe in love at first sight. Call me crazy, but I believe in those things. I feel that it's my destiny," the Emmy-nominated actress said while briefly discussing her new single status. The age-mismatched duo — he's 13 years her senior — were first romantically linked in the summer of 2018.
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According to Page Six, "Orange Is the New Black" star Lea DeLaria accidentally let slip that she secretly married Dalia Gladstone when she referred to the cabaret artist as her "wife" during an April 3 interview. When pressed for details, the comedian replied, "No comment."
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During an interview with Page Six that debuted online on April 4, "Summer House" newbie Sam Feher revealed that she and "Winter House" star Kory Keefer have been dating since at least late 2022. "Kory's my boyfriend," she said, adding that they "made it official a little while ago" and that upcoming episodes of "Summer House" will chronicle their burgeoning romance. "It's very special to find someone who means so much to you and then get to relive that experience," she said. The duo are currently dating long-distance but plan to eventually live together in New York City, which she calls home.
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On April 2, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue model and fitness influencer Katie Austin took to Instagram to announce that she's engaged to her love of about two and a half years, Lane Armstrong. "YES YES YES YES X 10000 MILLION YES!!!!! I can't wait to be your WIFE," she captioned a slideshow of photos depicting the proposal, which went down as the sun was setting on a California beach.
