After 16 months of being married together, Hayley Williams and Chad Gilbert have decided to go their separate ways.
The 28-year-old Paramore singer and the 36-year-old New Found Glory guitarist both took to Instagram to announced that they had broken up in an emotional joint post. The couple also insists that they’re still close friends.
The statement reads:
“So much more goes into putting a statement together than anyone will ever see. There’s real life behind these black and white words. Sleepless nights and procrastination and sadness and fear… Unfortunately, it all ends up looking the same. Like some publicity crap.
“The 2 of us have been together for the better part of 10 years. We’ve grown up together and we’ve been beside each other through a lot of goodness and a lot of challenges. There is a challenge to trying to understand your own heart in the context of a relationship… and there is goodness in considering another heart, even in spite of your own. Marriage is not for the faint of heart. Love is an absolute risk. And it’s up to each of us to stay hopeful even when the outcome isn’t what we’d originally hoped for.”
“We want to publicly state – plainly, and only this time – that we are splitting up. We also feel it, important to state that we are going to be okay and in fact, we remain close friends who are good in each other’s eyes. That’s something we are deeply thankful for. Even though situations like these can feel defeating. We will continue to encourage and support each other personally and professionally.
“Hopefully, you’ll understand that the personal aspects of what we are going through are not for anyone else to carry. Only us. To allow people any further into this moment in our lives would be to dishonor our history together and our ability to move forward with integrity. Thank you to fans of both of our bands for all the kindness you’ve shown to both of us for so many years. Thanks to our families and friends for loving us in all our seasons.”
Williams and Gilbert started dating in 2008 and became engaged when the guitarist popped the question on Christmas 2014. The former flames tied the knot in a punk rock wedding at the Franklin Theatre in Nashville last February.
