Shailene Woodley Recalls ‘Darkest Time’ Of Her Life Following Aaron Rodgers Separation

Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley were initially linked in July 2020, following his separation from Danica Patrick. The following February, it was revealed that Woodley and Rodgers were dating, just before the quarterback referred to her as his fiancée during his NFL Honors acceptance speech. However, by the following year, the twosome had called it quits on their whirlwind romance. Shailene Woodley recently discussed how her own relationships influenced her work on the television adaption of Three Women.

In her PORTER magazine cover story, which was published on today, the Big Little Lies alum recalled that, “it was hard to film because I was going through the darkest, hardest time in my life. It was winter in New York, and my personal life was s–tty, so it felt like a big pain bubble for eight months.” After beginning production the previous fall, the show based on Lisa Taddeo’s book of the same name finished shooting in May 2022.

Woodley did not clarify what caused her pain. “I was so grateful that at least I could go to work and cry and process my emotions through my character,” the Divergent actress revealed noting that she “found a lot of comfort and inspiration” in collaborating with Taddeo, who wrote and executive produced the upcoming Showtime series.

During filming, Woodley explored her emotions in new ways and spoke frankly about her self-care journey both on and off set.  “I’ve always loved getting older, but it’s almost like I feel an exhale,” she explained. 

I’ve been waiting so long to experience not giving a f–k about what other people think about me and my life and the choices I make.

I’m so excited to continue letting go of so many of the things that controlled me in my twenties; to really experience the joy of life in a way that, when you’re younger, is more difficult to experience – because it’s controlled by the way you were raised instead of the identity that you create as your own person.

When Shailene and Aaron were seen attending a wedding together in March 2022, they ignited reunion speculations shortly after their separation made headlines. It was later revealed that Woodley and the Green Bay Packers athlete had been “on and off” but were “over for good,” adding that they “just didn’t work out as a couple.”

Both the Secret Life of the American Teenager star and her ex-fiancé have been tight-lipped about what caused their breakup. Rodgers thanked his ex in February 2022 for the influence she had on his life. Keep an eye on Thirsty for the most latest updates.

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