Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler’s reported breakup may or may not be permanent ultimately. But according to People, the couple of eight years was very serious about their future together before choosing to go their separate ways for now. A source told the outlet that “they had talked about an engagement before they split up.”
A second source said that the two went through some hard times together but ultimately distance strained them. “They really loved each other and have been through some of their toughest life moments together,” the source said. “Busy work schedules and travel definitely put a strain on the relationship. They were a wonderful couple and it’s really sad that it didn’t work out.”
People‘s report comes after a source told E! that hope is not completely lost for the two. Butler and Hudgens “are split for now” but are “going to see what happens,” E!’s source said. “They have such a history and deep connection they could find their way back to one another. Right now she felt like he needed to go and be single and see if that’s what he really wants.”
Butler is shooting Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming Elvis Presley biopic in Australia. Hudgens had been shooting The Princess Switch 2 abroad.
Hudgens talked in her February 2020 interview with Cosmopolitan UK, released earlier this month, about how distance has been hard on her and Butler. “It’s eight years this year–FaceTime, good communication, respect and trust [are what keep us going],” she said. “The longest we’ve been apart was four months. It sucks! You start hating hearing yourself say ‘I miss you.’ But if it’s your person, you make it work.”
Neither Hudgens nor Butler have confirmed their breakup. Their reps have not commented to any outlet either.