It is easy to forget now, mostly because Emily Blunt and John Krasinski have become the undisputed "gold standard" of Hollywood couples. They are the pair that everyone points to when they want to believe love isn't dead in Los Angeles. But before the A Quiet Place era, before the Office jokes, and before the red-carpet power-walks, there was a completely different chapter.
Between 2005 and 2008, Emily Blunt and Michael Bublé were the it-couple.
He was the Canadian crooner who brought jazz back to the mainstream. She was the rising British starlet who had just stolen every scene in The Devil Wears Prada. They were young, they were wildly successful, and honestly, they seemed like a perfect match. But then it ended. And it didn't just end quietly—it ended with a cloud of rumors, public apologies years later, and a lot of "it's complicated" comments that still pop up in interviews nearly two decades later.
How it All Started: A Backstage Meet-Cuent
The story of Emily Blunt and Michael Bublé didn't start at a glitzy awards show or through a high-powered agent. It started backstage at one of his concerts in 2005. Blunt, a fan of his music, went back to say hello.
They hit it off immediately.
For three years, they were inseparable. They shared a home in Vancouver. They were each other’s biggest fans. Blunt famously said she would get tears in her eyes watching him perform, and Bublé once told People magazine that every time he saw her on screen, he fell in love with her all over again. He even wrote his hit song "Everything" for her.
But behind the scenes, the pressure of two exploding careers was starting to show.
The Breakup and the Rumors That Wouldn't Die
In July 2008, the news broke: they were done. The official line from Bublé's rep was the standard celebrity boilerplate about "conflicting schedules" and "remaining friends."
But the internet didn't buy it.
Shortly after the split, photos began circulating online that allegedly showed Bublé in bed with another woman. These weren't professional paparazzi shots; they were the kind of grainy, scandalous images that fueled the early days of gossip blogs. The narrative quickly shifted from "too busy to date" to "he cheated."
For years, neither of them said much. Blunt, in particular, became a master of the polite pivot. She focused on her career, moved on to date John Krasinski, and rarely looked back. But in 2015, during a now-famous interview with Howard Stern, the topic came up. Stern, never one for subtlety, asked her point-blank about the infidelity rumors.
Blunt’s reaction was telling. She turned red. She laughed nervously.
"I don't know, it's complicated," she told Stern. She followed it up by saying, "I never want to talk about it."
That one phrase—"it's complicated"—did more to fuel the rumors than a thousand tabloid articles ever could. She didn't say "no." She didn't say "it's a lie." She just said it was complicated.
Michael Bublé’s Journey Toward Accountability
While Blunt has mostly kept her side of the story private, Bublé has been surprisingly candid. He didn't just acknowledge the breakup; he took a lot of the blame.
In various interviews over the years, he has described his younger self in terms that aren't exactly flattering. "I was a jerk," he told eTalk in 2015. He admitted to being "careless and reckless" with the hearts of the women he was with.
He didn't explicitly confirm the specific cheating rumors regarding Blunt, but he did admit that he "f***ed up" and that he had to go to therapy after the split to figure out why he was acting the way he was.
"It ended through both of us being young and naive and making silly mistakes. It was about me looking in the mirror and saying, 'Michael, wake up.'" — Michael Bublé to the Evening Standard.
Interestingly, Bublé credits the heartbreak of losing Blunt as the catalyst for his personal growth. He argues that if he hadn't gone through that painful split and the self-reflection that followed, he wouldn't have been "ready" to be the husband he is now to Luisana Lopilato.
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Why We Still Talk About Them
Why does this relationship still fascinate people in 2026?
Maybe it’s because it feels like a relic of a different Hollywood. Or maybe it’s the contrast. We see Emily Blunt now as the sophisticated, poised Oscar nominee who seems to have the perfect life. Seeing the "messy" chapter of her mid-20s makes her feel more human.
It's also a classic case of two people who were "right" for each other at the time, but fundamentally "wrong" for the long haul. Bublé has since stated that they simply weren't a good fit, and that they are both exactly where they are supposed to be now.
Blunt has been married to Krasinski since 2010. They have two daughters. Bublé has been married to Lopilato since 2011. They have four children.
The Truth About the "Cheating"
If you’re looking for a smoking gun, you won't find one that both parties agree on. Bublé has denied that the relationship ended specifically because of cheating, while Blunt’s "it's complicated" remains the closest thing to a confirmation from her side.
What is clear, however, is that there was no shortage of drama. Whether it was a singular act of infidelity or a general "recklessness" with her heart, the relationship left a mark on both of them.
Blunt still speaks fondly of Bublé's family, specifically his mother, Amber. She has maintained a level of class that is rare in the industry, refusing to bash her ex even when prompted by the biggest shock jocks in the world.
What This Teaches Us About High-Profile Relationships
There are a few "real-world" takeaways from the saga of Emily Blunt and Michael Bublé that apply even if you aren't a multi-platinum singer or an A-list actress:
- Growth often requires a "reckoning": Bublé’s admission that he needed therapy to stop being a "jerk" is a rare bit of celebrity honesty. Sometimes, you have to lose something great to realize you’re the problem.
- The "Official Story" is rarely the whole story: The 2008 press release said "schedules." The reality involved red faces, "complicated" feelings, and years of self-reflection.
- Moving on is the best revenge (if you want to call it that): Both have found incredible success and stable, long-term marriages. The best way to handle a "complicated" past is to build a better future.
If you find yourself going down a rabbit hole of mid-2000s celebrity gossip, remember that these stories are usually more nuanced than a tabloid headline suggests. People change. They grow up. They go to therapy. And sometimes, they write a hit song like "Everything" before realizing the person they wrote it for was just a chapter, not the whole book.
To understand the full scope of Emily Blunt’s career transition from this era to her current status, you can look at her filmography post-2008, which shows a marked shift toward more intense, dramatic roles like Sicario and Oppenheimer. It’s almost as if the end of that chapter opened the door for the powerhouse she eventually became.
Next Steps for the Curious Reader:
If you want to see the contrast for yourself, watch Emily Blunt’s 2015 interview on The Howard Stern Show and compare it to Michael Bublé’s 2015 interview with eTalk. The difference in how they remember their time together—and how they’ve chosen to process the breakup—is a fascinating study in human memory and public relations.