BRIT Awards performer Sabrina Carpenter and actor Barry Keoghan sent fans into a frenzy when rumours of a romance between them were confirmed.
The Saltburn star, 32, from Dublin was first linked with the singer, 25, in 2023 before they posed for sizzling snaps together at the Met Gala the following year. Barry gushed that he was "incredibly blessed" to be with Sabrina in a podcast with Louis Theroux, and looked very loved up with the Espresso star when he appeared in her music video for Please, Please, Please.
However, just after a year of dating, the pair called it a day after shocking cheating rumours, which were rubbished by sources, who insisted they were simply "young and career-focused and decided to take a break". As the singer prepares to take to the stage at the BRIT Awards, we take a look at the fallout of Sabrina and Barry's doomed romance.
'Taking a break for career reasons'
After news of the break-up broke, a source close to the couple confirmed the reports, citing Barry and Sabrina's careers as the reason why. They're both seriously hot property, with Sabrina performing at the BRITS tonight, after winning Best Pop Vocal Album at the Grammys and Barry taking Hollywood by storm after his starring role in Saltburn.
Giving their take on the break up, the source told People: "They are both young and career-focused, so they've decided to take a break .It’s been challenging for their relationship since she started going on tour and has been gone a lot. Their schedules were not aligning. All the time spent apart it was hard to maintain a relationship amid her [Sabrina's] career exploding."
Cheating rumours
Despite their public affection before the split, rumours of cheating plagued the former couple. The whispers soon got specific with influencer, Breckie Hill, being named as the woman allegedly involved with Barry. Gossip site DeuxMoi posted a blind item that described a breakup between a “rising pop star” and her “foreign actor boyfriend” due to the fact that the boyfriend was cheating.
The post went on to say the two were “done for good” and that “on the closing night of her biggest tour to date in LA, he was busy getting very cozy at San Vicente Bungalows with a blonde, semi-famous, LA-based influencer (who’s particularly big on Tiktok)”. The post also added that the pop star found out “he had been chatting with said influencer behind her back for months in a not-innocent-at-all way.”
Neither Barry nor Sabrina gave any credence to the report and Breckie denied she'd ever met the actor. However, as the rumours continued to swirl, Barry decided he'd had enough and deactivated his social media as he was subject to severe criticism over the rumours online.
Barry deletes his Instagram page
On December 7, it seemed that Barry could take no more, and deactivated his Instagram account before sharing an emotional statement on X. Captioning the post "Please be respectful x", he told his followers his name had been "dragged across the internet", forcing him to take action.
He said: "I can only sit and take so much. My name has been dragged across the internet in ways I usually don't respond too. I have to respond now because it's gettin to a place where there are too many lines being crossed. I deactivated my account because I can no longer let this stuff distract from my family and my work.
"The messages I have received no person should ever have to read them. Absolute lies, hatred, disgusting commentary about my appearance, character, how I am as a parent and every other inhumane thing you can imagine.
"Dragging my character and everything I worked extremely hard for and stand for. Talking about how I was a heroine baby and how I grew up and dragging my dear mother into it also. Knocking on my grannies door. Sitting outside my baby boys house intimidating them. That's crossing a line. Please be kind. Thank you."
Sabrina releases cryptic video with Barry 'dig'
Just as fans thought that the dust had settled on the fallout between Barry and Sabrina, the singer shocked fans who spotted an apparent dig at Barry in her latest music video release.
On Valentine's Day, the pop princess, whose aunt is Bart Simpson star, Nancy Cartwright, dropped a brand new music video to her smash hit Please Please Please, featuring country legend Dolly Parton. And as Sabrina's ex Barry was featured in the originally released video, many thought they spotted some subtle digs at her former flame in the remix.
In the new vintage black-and-white video, Sabrina and Dolly are seen in full glam singing and driving along a deserted highway. But later, things take a turn as Dolly hands a shovel to to the pint-sized star as they stand behind their truck. Shortly after, the police chase down the pair and the camera cuts off to a barefoot man who is handcuffed with a sack pulled over his head in the back of the vehicle.
The video ends with the sound of banging from the back of the truck and the duo giggling and smoking cigarettes while covered in cash. And while no names were mentioned, many fans believe the man was a reference to Barry as he was seen sporting the same outfit the actor did in the original steamy video.
One fan wrote in the comments section of the YouTube video: "Her getting DOLLY PARTON on the this song, dropping it on Valentine's Day, and shading Barry in this music video is such a slay I love this so much. I had no clue until I got it recommended rn on YouTube."
Another added: "The fact that Sabrina Carpenter releasing this MV in Valentine's day with Barry ending like that is DIABOLICAL!" Another chimed: "Barry was the only man to ever survive a Sabrina video so she had to come back and make things right".
