Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird Announce Split After a Decade Relationship
Soccer star Megan Rapinoe and basketball star Sue Bird, both Olympic gold medalists, have split following a decade-long relationship.
The pair, who met at the 2016 Rio Olympics, released a joint statement on Instagram on Friday.
“There really is no smooth or easy way to share this news,” said the statement. “After a lot of thought, we’ve made the decision to separate as a couple.”
“This hasn’t been an easy decision, but its one we’ve made together with so much love, respect, and care for each other,” the statement added. “We’ve shared a whole life over the last decade, through big moments and in quiet ones, and that is something we’ll always carry with us.”
The former couple also said their co-hosted podcast, A Touch More, will end along with their relationship.
“We are so grateful to this incredible community that has held us up, welcomed us in, and supported us exactly how we are,” the statement said. “So many of you have reminded us, again and again, why loving out loud matters.”
“Getting to create A Touch More: The Podcast and build a network around it has been a tremendous joy. The conversations, the laughter, the connection – it means more than we can put into words. While this chapter of doing the podcast together is ending, what we’ve built with you isn’t,” they continued.
“Thank you for being with us through all of it… it means the world to us. With so much love, Megan and Sue,” they concluded.
The breakup comes six years after Rapinoe and Bird announced their engagement in 2020 – two years after they “made history as the first openly gay couple to cover ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue” in June 2018, per the New York Post.