Pop star Ellie Goulding has spoken candidly about the emotionally charged period following the end of her marriage to art dealer Caspar Jopling, describing it as a profoundly turbulent time in her life.
A Marriage, Not Just a Relationship
The 38-year-old singer, who is currently pregnant with her boyfriend Beau Minniear's child, reflected on the split while promoting her latest album. Goulding and Jopling announced their separation in February 2024 after being married for several years, having first announced their engagement back in 2018.
In a new interview with NME, Goulding revealed the depth of her feelings, particularly when she first heard her new track, Destiny. "I first heard this track when I had recently separated from my husband," she explained. "This was at a really turbulent time for me because I was trying to navigate what felt like a separation of all separations."
She emphasised the unique weight of ending a marriage, stating, "It was a marriage, not just a relationship. I didn't know what else to do other than make music."
The Grieving Process After a Split
Goulding spoke openly about the grief that accompanied the breakup, challenging the notion of personal strength in such situations. "Yeah, it doesn't matter how strong a character you have, when it comes to separating from your husband, you can never be strong enough for that," she shared.
"It's like a grieving process because you've lost not just the person, but the life that was projected for you," the singer added, highlighting the loss of a shared future.
Healing Through Music and New Beginnings
The Love Me Like You Do hitmaker detailed how creating her new album became an essential part of her recovery. "It was a long process, and it felt really triumphant to start waking up in the morning and, little by little, starting to feel it less," Goulding said.
She acknowledged that the feelings may never fully disappear, but found victory in incremental progress. "It's never gone away, and only time will tell if it ever will… but it's been a process of everyday feeling a little bit better. That to me was such a victory."
"To be able to channel things like that into poetry and lyrics, and then put it into songs like Destiny, it just felt like a triumph. I felt proud that I'd taken these steps to feel myself again," Goulding concluded.
Both parties had issued matching statements at the time of their separation, stressing their continued friendship and dedication to co-parenting their son, Arthur, who is now 4 years old.
Goulding has since moved on romantically, publicly confirming her relationship with actor Beau Minniear in September 2025. Minniear even featured in the music video for Destiny, released earlier this year. Meanwhile, Caspar Jopling is now in a relationship with actress Olivia Wilde.
