Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan had a fairy tale Hollywood marriage, now their separation has turned ugly.

For Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan, they fell in love on the set of Step Up – both cast as the leads and love interests.

While filming, Tatum was keen to ask Dewan on a date, but had just come out of a long-term relationship. One of his friends talked him into taking the plunge, with Tatum saying to Elle: "I showed up at her hotel room with a sombrero on, and that was it."

By 2009 (just three years later) they were married – their wedding was an outdoor fairytale-themed event on a private estate in Malibu. They welcomed their first child, daughter Everly, in May 2013.  

Then in 2018, they shocked Hollywood when they announced they were separating after 12 years together.

Watch Jenna Dewan's iconic Magic Mike dance on Lip Sync Battle. Post continues below.

"We have something we would like to share. We have lovingly chosen to separate as a couple. We fell deeply in love so many years ago and have had a magical journey together," they said in a joint statement.

The couple said there were no "secrets nor salacious events" that caused the breakup.

The divorce was finalised in 2019, but there remains complications – Dewan asking the courts to further take into account the large sum of money Tatum has made with the Magic Mike franchise.

Dewan's lawyer argued in a petition filed in California's Superior Court this month that the "intellectual property" from Magic Mike was developed during the former couple's marriage and is therefore "community in character".

Dewan's lawyers have claimed that the lucrative franchise was developed and co-financed by Tatum during their marriage "with community effort and marital funds."

However, Tatum disputes that the film's earnings and IP were acquired while the couple were still married.

Dewan's legal team alleged that after their split, Tatum "failed to disclose" some of the business opportunities that sprung from the franchise and claimed his financial team "created a complex web of LLCs, holding companies and partnerships" in order to "dilute" the earnings from the films.

If Dewan wins, she could be in for quite a hefty payout. 

The Magic Mike franchise is a multi-million dollar cultural phenomenon, reportedly worth well over $180 million.

Tatum starred in and produced Magic Mike, the first film released back in 2012. The comedy-drama, which was inspired by Tatum's own stripper past, tells the story of a young male exotic dancer named Mike (Tatum), who is the star at a Tampa strip club. In 2015, Tatum starred in Magic Mike XXL. He returned to the franchise a third time in 2023 in Magic Mike's Last Dance. 

The franchise additionally birthed a 2021 spin-off reality TV series and a live Magic Mike show staged in Las Vegas.

In a profile for Vanity Fair in 2023, 43-year-old Tatum was candid about his divorce from Dewan, saying they "fought" for their marriage "for a really long time, even though we both sort of knew that we had sort of grown apart".

As for Dewan, she said to Women's Health around the time of the split that she felt as though she was on "a wave of growth".

"I think everyone wants to hold on to what's in front of them, but when you open your mind, saying, 'I want what's best for myself and my daughter,' you have to be okay with however that looks. It's always challenging to go through a big change and have the whole world have an opinion about it."

As for Tatum post-divorce, he went on to have a relationship with singer Jessie J between 2018 and 2020.

Then in late 2021, there were reports Zoë Kravitz was dating Tatum – which was later confirmed by the couple themselves. The pair were originally photographed riding on a bicycle together in New York City. 

They attended the 2021 Met Gala together, and went ahead with their relationship, Kravitz saying she felt "optimistic" about her future and relationships, hinting to Tatum. When asked explicitly about her relationship with Tatum, Kravitz simply said: "I'm happy."

The pair remain in a relationship.

Tatum and Kravitz at the Met Gala, and also celebrating Halloween together. Image: Getty/Instagram.

In November 2022, she said about Tatum to PEOPLE: "He makes me laugh and we both really love art and talking about art and the exploration of why we do what we do. We love to watch a film and break it down and talk about it and challenge each other."

Along with acting in a bunch of notable hits like Lost City with Sandra Bullock and the new Magic Mike's Last Dance, Tatum has ventured into the world of publishing, creating a children's picture book franchise called Sparkella, which has become a New York Times' Bestseller. 

It's inspired by his now 10-year-old daughter Everly, who he shares with Dewan.

"I was such a boy, a very Southern boy growing up. I could've never known that I was going to be a girl dad. What I do know now is that I've been more creative in my relationship with Evie than I ever have been in my career," he said to Entertainment Weekly. "She's pushed me past any limits that I thought I had. Evie demands 100 per cent of my creative, emotional attention at all times."

As for life after divorce, Tatum said it had worked out for the best, and that he and Dewan were on very good co-parenting terms.

"I think we told ourselves a story when we were young, and we just kept telling ourselves that story, no matter how blatantly life was telling us that we were so different. But when you're actually parents, you really understand the differences between the two of you. Because it is screaming at you all day long. How you parent differently, how you look at the world, how you go through the world."

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A post shared by Channing Tatum (@channingtatum)

Asked whether or not he would be interested in marriage again, Tatum said to Vanity Fair that "relationships are hard for me".

"Even though I am a bit of a monogamist. In business, I have no real fear of anything being destroyed. But heart things, when it comes to people I love, I have a really hard time. I end up trying too hard, you know? I think life has a really fun way to give you exactly what you need when you need it."

As for Dewan, she has since welcomed another child into her life.

In 2018, Dewan began dating Steve Kazee, a Tony-award-winning actor and singer. By 2019, the pair were expecting their first child together.

Marking his relationship online for one of the first times, Kazee wrote about Dewan: "This woman. What an indelible mark she has placed on my heart. Through it all, I love catching eyes with her and knowing that she is the person I will be spending the rest of my life with. I couldn't be more grateful that she was put on this earth and that we found each other through all the noise."

In February 2020, they were engaged, and in March of the same year, they welcomed their son Callum. 

Reflecting on this new chapter, 43-year-old Dewan said to Harper's Bazaar: "I feel a sense of joy and freedom and excitement, truly, about a new chapter in my life. And I have no attachments to how that's going to look, or what that's going to be. I feel really open, and I feel hopeful." 

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A post shared by Jenna Dewan (@jennadewan)

Along with being a mum to her two kids, Dewan has continued acting and dancing, as well as writing a self-help book on navigating different life chapters.

"Speak your truth, say no when you must, and don't worry so much. There is a lot of worry at times, and I know that goes for everyone, but everything works out. It always does," she said to New Beauty Magazine. "I feel very in awe of the course my life has taken."

Reflecting on her former marriage, she said to Women's Health that she chooses to not look at it like a failure, but as a good moment in time along the way to a stronger relationship.

"It's okay for a relationship to change into a new form that is actually better for both people involved, and I think that's maybe what shocked everyone so much – that it can be a positive thing."

This article was originally published in January 2023, and has since been updated with new information.

Feature Image: Getty.

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