Step Up fans were heartbroken after Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum announced Monday night that they are planning to separate after nearly nine years of marriage.
The couple met in 2006 on the set of Step Up and delighted moviegoers when they wed in 2009 and in 2013 welcomed a daughter, Everly.
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In case you’re like the rest of the internet and aren’t over the split quite yet, it might help to watch an old montage from their iconic dance movie.
In the movie, they played love interests Tyler Gage and Nora Clark. Nora teaches Tyler a more technical version of dance than what he’s grown up doing, and in the montage we see Tyler transform from a break-dancing street performer to a dancer who’s comfortable in the ballroom.
Though the montage begins with Nora being annoyed, if not slightly intrigued, of Tyler’s antics, we see her begrudgingly start to give into him while he works on his technique and precision and even trades in his baggy jeans for comfortable dance sweatpants. By the end of the three-minute clip, the two are feeling the heat and collapsing in a fit of giggles after performing the iconic breathtaking lift.
Knowing that Dewan and Tatum first met on the set of the film, it’s hard for fans not to think of Nora and Tyler as Channing and Jenna instead — and grieve for their nine years of marriage.
Dewan and Tatum announced Monday that they were separating, but emphasized they were dedicated to caring for their 4-year-old daughter Everly as a team.
The couple opened up about their split in a statement they posted on social media Monday, much to fans’ surprise.
Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Tatum are separating. We’ll always have “Step Up” pic.twitter.com/dqk11hKFZi
— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) April 3, 2018
“We have lovingly chosen to separate as a couple,” the couple said in a statement on Twitter. “We fell deeply in love so many years ago and have had a magical journey together. Absolutely nothing has changed about how much we love one another, but love is a beautiful adventure that is taking us on different paths for now.”
“There are no secrets nor salacious events at the root of our decision — just two best-friends realizing it’s time to take some space and help each other live the most joyous, fulfilled lives as possible,” the couple said. “We are still a family and will always be loving dedicated parents to Everly.”
They continued, “We won’t be commenting beyond this, and we thank you all in advance for respecting our family’s privacy.”
Dewan attended the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscars party by herself, sparking rumors of the break-up early last month. However, a few days later, the couple shared photos on Instagram of them having fun with Everly during a face-painting session.
They were last seen together at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, where Tatum stopped by to promote the animated film Smallfoot.
In a recent interview with Health magazine, the World of Dance host said she did not like hearing people call her marriage and life “perfect” because it is impossible to be truly perfect.
“When people say you guys have such a perfect life, I want to scream and tell them no one’s perfect. I think there are such things as great fits,” the dancer said.
She continued, “It is a great fit as long as you are growing together, and I think up until this point we’ve really grown together. Even if one starts to grow, the other catches up and vice versa. But I think a couple needs to be conscious and to want to do the work and be willing to look at the parts of you that need work. Both of us have been pretty aware and willing to do that. We’ve always had the same values. But we’re not perfect! Are you kidding? We fight like other couples, we disagree about things, we have days where we don’t really like each other.”
