Shailene Woodley has offered rare insight into her breakup with NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, two years after the former couple ended their engagement. In a candid interview with Bustle, the 32-year-old actress opened up about heartbreak and personal growth while reflecting on her experience filming Three Women, a project she began after their relationship ended in 2022.
During the interview, Woodley touched on the topic of her “broken heart,” revealing that it had “healed and broken again” in the time since the split. Without directly naming Rodgers, she hinted at the emotional toll of the breakup and how it has shaped her understanding of love and relationships. Woodley shared that she has often fallen for people who are “unavailable” and that her tendency to give deeply in relationships has led to painful realizations.
“I love easy and I care easy, but I do not love lightly, and I do not care lightly,” Woodley explained. “It’s taken me a long time to realize that it’s not my responsibility to fix or heal a relationship. My role is to protect the deep care and love I have for the world and for the people in my life.”
The Big Little Lies star reflected on how this realization has helped her move on from relationships without needing closure or full understanding of why things didn’t work out as she hoped. “Ultimately, that has helped me walk away without the need to understand why certain things didn’t play out the way that I may have desired them to,” she said.
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Woodley also emphasized that she is no longer willing to tolerate disrespect in her relationships. “I used to be someone who would continue to give and give, even when someone crossed my boundaries,” she admitted. “Now, I respectfully say, ‘Thank you so much for that information. Have a beautiful life. I wish you well.'”
Woodley and Rodgers began dating in 2020, with the Green Bay Packers quarterback announcing their engagement in early 2021. At the time, Woodley acknowledged their relationship in a playful interview with Jimmy Fallon, joking that she never imagined ending up with someone who “threw balls for a living.” However, by February 2022, the couple had called off their engagement.
In a January 2023 interview with Net-A-Porter, Woodley called the breakup the “darkest, hardest time of [her] life,” noting that she channeled her personal pain into her work while filming Three Women, which is based on Lisa Taddeo’s bestselling book. “My personal life was s–tty, so it felt like a big pain bubble for eight months,” Woodley shared. “But I was so grateful that I could go to work and cry and process my emotions through my character.”
Since the split, Woodley has remained focused on her career and personal growth, while Rodgers reportedly moved on with model Mallory Edens. Woodley, who has not gone public with any new romances, has also spoken openly about her desire for motherhood, though she clarified that she doesn’t place expectations on when or how that will happen.
“I want to be a mom,” Woodley said. “But I don’t have expectations of life or think it should have happened by now. I want to cook dinner for someone every night, travel the world with them, and share in their joys and purposes. But every day I wake up and say out loud, ‘I’m so excited for the magic and miracles that are going to happen.'”
Woodley’s reflections highlight her journey of healing and self-discovery following the high-profile breakup, as she continues to focus on her future and embrace whatever life has in store for her next.
