Duration: Three-and-a -half years
Ages: 42 and 31
Previous pairings: DeGeneres had two serious relationships with women prior to Heche. Heche dated her “Another World” co-star Richard Burgi in the late 1980s and Steve Martin from 1993 to 1995.
Love story: The two actresses met at the 1997 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. DeGeneres was one month away from publicly revealing that she was a lesbian and having her character on ABC’s “Ellen” come out as well. Heche contended on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 1997: “I was not gay before I met [Ellen.] It wasn’t immediately a sexual attraction.” Since their pairing, the two have been seen at every opening, every awards show.
What went wrong?: Your guess is as good as ours. The pair released a statement Aug. 19 saying, “Unfortunately, we have decided to end our relationship. It is an amicable parting, and we greatly value the 3 1/2 years we have spent together.” No reasons were cited. A source told Us Weekly that it may have been a case of very opposite personalities clashing. We’ll have to wait for Heche‘s upcoming memoirs to figure it all out.
Post-split romance: DeGeneres recently ended a two-month rebound romance with with TV actress Alexandra Hedison, while Heche has reportedly switched teams, hooking up with cameraman Coley Laffoon.
What they’ve said: “No one knows what we have together, no one,” DeGeneres told TV Guide in 1997. “If Anne goes, I want to go, that’s how strongly I feel.” Soon after the split (not to mention her famous dazed stroll), Heche accepted an award for her directorial efforts in HBO’s “If These Walls Could Talk 2,” which co-starred DeGeneres. According to Reuters, Heche covered her face with her hands when she mentioned her ex’s name, then composed herself and said, “No matter what you’ve heard, I love Ellen DeGeneres. She is a genius . . . a marvelous woman so dear to my life, and I love her.” But neither have denied that their publicized romance has been full of hardships. Said Heche to the London Times in 1998: “I was naive, hugely naive. I fell in love and I didn’t believe people would care … The Hollywood community and friends and family backed away.”
