It’s been a rough ~year~ for fans of Robert Pattinson and FKA Twigs. After years of keeping their distance, the English actor and the French singer/songwriter finally got together and got engaged. The news was celebrated by fans around the world, and the couple even went public with their happy news. But just six months later, Pattinson and Twigs called it quits, just as many longtime fans had hoped and wished for.
Thoughts and questions about the break-up flooded social media. Why did this happen? What went wrong? Were the wedding bells a false advertising scheme by the media to boost album sales? We look back at some of the major events that led to the breakup of this beautiful couple.
The Proposal
After years apart, Robert Pattinson and FKA Twigs finally got together and got engaged in a romantic ceremony in Venice Beach, California on June 25, 2018. The couple’s engagement was marked by a romantic storybook proposal, in which Pattinson revealed he had spent months planning the moment. He proposed to Twigs while reciting William Wordsworth’s “Ode On Snow.”
“I have a confession to make,” he began. “I have been planning this moment for a very long time. When I was 11, I made a promise to myself that I would find a way to make my wife’s dreams come true. Since then, I have been working hard to keep that promise. When I lost my best friend to cancer, I felt I had to change. I had to be the one to make her happy. And that’s when I knew I had to do everything in my power to make Kayla’s dream come true. I love my wife so much, and I want to be the best husband I can be for her. So here I am, in front of you,” he continued. “Will you marry me?”
Tears were shed from all corners as the audience, including many Hollywood stars, watched in shock. Many fans had worried that the long hiatus from Pattinson and Twigs would ruin their wedding day and marriage. But their commitment to each other was clearly visible as they exchanged vows, with many shedding tears of joy.
The Happy Event
A week after revealing he had spent months planning his wedding proposal, Pattinson and Twigs tied the knot in a gorgeous ceremony that was hailed as the “happiest day of [their] lives.” The pair made their grand entrance, walking down the aisle hand-in-hand, before saying “I do” in front of family, friends, and celebrity guests.
The ceremony was filled with love, as attendees shared their favourite parts. “I love this photo because this is a moment that, as a couple, you will always have together. It is perfect,” one bride wrote on Instagram. “From the very beginning, when I met him, we connected very quickly,” Twigs said during the wedding. “There has always been a connection between us; it just took me a while to figure it out. And I think he felt the same way. I think that is why he took the time to make sure that he prepared the perfect proposal.”
The newlywed couple’s first major public appearance was filled with love as they waved to fans and shared a passionate kiss on stage at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. “I love you so much,” Pattinson said to Twigs during the appearance, as attendees cheered and clapped. “Even when we are far away from each other, I will always feel like this is my wife. This is who I love, and this is how I feel. This is me, just being me,” he added.
Album Sales
Days after the wedding, TMZ reported that Pattinson’s decision to propose to Twigs was actually part of a marketing plan by his record label. The news outlet claimed that his management team wanted to cash in on the couple’s celebrity and hoped that the engagement would boost album sales. But that didn’t happen. Far from boosting album sales, the engagement, followed by the wedding, saw album sales decline by 22% and 24% year after the event compared to the same period a year before.
The week before the wedding, Pattinson’s representative told Billboard that sales of the actor’s upcoming album, Wuthering Heights, had declined 19% compared to the week before his proposal. The representative added that the June 24 performance at the O2 Arena in London was likely to see similar drops in album sales.
It seems clear that whatever the reasons for the split, it’s been a rough year for fans of the couple. But with the end of the year now behind them, it’s time for Pattinson and Twigs to move on. And with the #MetGalasnowcoming, it may just be the start of a new phase of their relationship.